


Quantum Entanglements: Help Desk

by TheSmuttyBard



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-11
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-07-11 05:19:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15965525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSmuttyBard/pseuds/TheSmuttyBard
Summary: Meet Nila.She's a matchmaker for quantum entanglements assigned to a twenty-something blonde named Kara. Can she fulfill her quest of entangling Kara with her quantum destiny?Disclaimer #1: Chapters 1-3 may be confusing, but hopefully they will make more sense as you read chapters 4+.Disclaimer #2: I'm giving myself permission to go full weird. I don't know that means or if I will actually follow through, but I have self-signed the permission slip just in case, so here we go!





	1. Chapter 1

Nila sat alone at her desk. Her office looked bigger than it was, thanks to the glass walls that afforded her zero privacy from anyone sitting in the waiting room. She had a receptionist’s phone off to her left, a clock that taunted her from the wall, and a book of rules she had to follow.

On the other side of that glass wall, thirteen blondes sat or paced in the waiting area like the cast of a spin-off series to _Orphan Black_ all scripted to wait impatiently in the same room while pretending not to see each other. Only there wasn't really a show and the blondes really couldn't see each other. But in her more desperate moments of boredom, Nila liked to imagine a spin-off called _Orphan Blonde_  all about a bunch of clones that all lived in the same city where no one noticed any resemblance between them.

Some might call such a premise too far-fetched to fly as a TV series, but Nila had seen enough to bet otherwise. People would roll with it. All the show needed was a protagonist that was all-in on believing that a pair of hipster glasses and granny panties made her invisible and unmemorable.

Shenanigans could ensue from there.

Sometimes Nila brainstormed episodes while she waited along with all the blondes for one of their numbers to be called. All her episodes had the same plot of forcing clones to meet so she could pull each clone's head out of its respective ass, but Nila knew she was just dreaming when it came to that. 

First of all, none of the blondes actually existed in the same universe. They couldn't interact.

Second, there was already a system that decided exactly how each interaction went—a system Nila had been told she could evolve if she figured out a better way. But she hadn't. Which meant she was still stuck on default settings where every number was called in order, and every blonde had ten seconds to claim her appointment.

It was terrible.

Yet that was the system. And Nila was just as stuck in it as all the blondes were ... counting  _tick-tock_ s in tens while praying each new number would lead to some action.

Overhead, a speaker let out a long-familiar happy chime.

_Ding!_

Followed by a female voice with a smile in its tone that said, “ _Now serving customer 336,723._ _”_

Nila waited, assuming this would one of at least a thousand chimes in a row of no-shows.

Then the phone rang.

“Finally,” Nila said, rolling her shoulders and taking to remember where she was on her checklist of approaches she hadn't tried yet when it came to getting anything but a full stall out of any version of the blonde.

The she hit the button to pick up the call. “Thank you for calling Quantum Entanglements. This is Nila. How can I help your stupid?”

There was a beat of silence on the other side, then, _“What?”_

“What?” Nila echoed back.

Another pause, then, _“Um … hi.”_

“Hi.”

_“So … um, I think I misunderstood you. What did you just ask?”_

“I asked how I can help you with your stupid today, ma’am,” Nila said, checking her nails. “Are you calling to unleash a self-righteous tirade today, or is this call more about recon on someone near-and-dear?”

 _“I … didn’t call to yell at anyone,”_ the polite voice bumbled.

“Okay. Recon then,” Nila said with a grin. “Who are you stalking, and how can I help?”

_“I …”_

_C_ _’mon. You can do it,_ Nila thought. _Say the name._

 _“Uh … maybe calling this number was a mistake,”_ the woman said, clearly chickening out. Nila could already hear her pushing the phone away from her face on the other side so she could hang up.

“All I need is a name, ma’am,” Nila said in a slightly louder voice to make sure she was heard. “Our records are public but you’ve gotta let me know who we’re looking up.”

_“You know what? I just remembered I don’t need it. My mistake. Sorry to waste your time.”_

“Are you sure?” Nila asked quickly. “We both know that you were on hold a _really_ long time to get to me. That kind of implies you have a situation that needs addressing.”

_“Oh, it’s nothing. It’s … fine. I’ll be … fine. Yeah, fine. Thanks for your time!”_

“Wait. Ka—”

_Click._

Dammit. The caller was gone and the chime from the overhead speakers made it official

 _Ding!_ _“Now serving customer 336,724.”_

Nila groaned and let out a sigh in the otherwise silent next ten seconds.

 _Ding!_ _“Now serving customer 336,725.”_

Silence for ten more seconds.

 _Ding!_ _“Now serving customer 336,726.”_

The phone rang.

Yes!

Nila picked up. “Thank you for calling Quantum Entanglements. This is Nila. How can I direct your stupid?”

 _“What!”_ a livid voice hissed on the other side. “ _You dare call me stupid? Do you even know how long I_ _’ve been on hold?”_

Ooooh. A yelling call?

Juicy.

“I am very familiar with our wait times,” Nila drawled. “But considering it’s people just like you that make them possible, you may not want to start that particular fight with me. I’ll win.”

 _“You’ll win?”_ the woman huffed. _“What kind of business is this? I want to speak to your manager!”_

Nila laughed. “I’m sorry, ma’am. There are no managers here. Unfinished karma directs all the calls, which means I help you or no one does. And I don’t know who pissed in your Cheerios, but dialing this number doesn’t give you the right to verbally abuse me. So let’s rewind and start at the beginning. What is the reason for your call today, ma’am?”

 _“Well, it wasn’t to have a patronizing woman keep calling me,_ ma’am. _”_

“Okay, what should I call you?” Nila asked.

 _“Nothing,”_ the woman snapped back. _“My name doesn’t matter. What matters is that whatever problem you have with Lena Luthor is about to disappear!”_

Nila couldn’t help but smile at the sheer earnestness in the blonde’s tone. “It is now?”

_“Yes. Whatever unfinished business you have with her goes through me from here on out. We finish it, you disappear, and Lena Luthor never has to deal with one of your manipulative schemes again.”_

“Is that what’s going to happen?” Nila purred.

_“Yes. It. Is.”_

This caller was in total protection mode.

Adorbs!

“So, what you’re saying is,” Nila ventured, “you have no idea who I am or my relationship with Lena Luthor, but you want me gone.”

 _“I know you’re bad news!”_ the woman accused.

“Am I?” Nila replied through a smile. “If that’s so, why are you so comfortable picking a fight with me?”

 _“Because I can be bad news, too,”_ the caller roared.

That got Nila sitting up straight. “Yeah? Do tell! Exactly how bad are you? Am I getting an upgrade?”

_“Wait. W-what?”_

“You heard me,” Nila purred, bringing the receiver closer to her lips and dropping her voice into a light husk. “Just how bad are you, Miss Wants-to-Speak-to-My-Manager?”

The bravado faded in the space of a breath. _“Whaaaat are you talking about?”_

Nila kept the insinuation in her voice. “I’m talking about the first law of thermodynamics as it applies to the transfer of finite energy across closed systems via open dikes. What are _you_ talking about?”

Number 336,726 somehow managed to stutter and be silent at the same time, and Nila smiled and let blonde fumble until she found actual words.

_“Wait. You and Lena … you’re gay? Together?”_

Oh, brother. This one was playing it _that_ dumb?

“Honey show me a woman who isn’t gay for Lena Luthor,” Nila purred, leaning forward as she bit her lip—knowing the caller couldn’t see it but knowing her expression would show up in her tone. “Doesn’t Lena make your heart go pitter-pat, too? Isn’t that why you called me? Because the just the thought that you might be able to be her hero gets you just a little wet, even if you don't want anyone to notice?”

_“I …”_

Nila could tell the blonde’s brain had gone full blue-screen at being called out. She could all but hear the blush in the woman’s cheeks paired the mute motions of her mouth as she fumbled every word out of her mouth before her lips could form them into anything but vowels.

Experience had taught Nila that fumbles lasting longer than three seconds would be followed by hung ups. And the exploration of random vowels was getting dangerously close to three—

 _“This was a mistake,”_ the caller stammered.

Shit. Nila had pushed too hard too fast.

Or … had she? Maybe she hadn’t pushed hard or fast enough.

Nila lowered her voice to just above a whisper. “Do you want to know if Lena and I fuck, Kara?”

Choked silence. Then, _“Excuse me?”_

“You heard me,” Nila purred. “Do you want to know if I see her sprawled out naked on my sheets before she buries her hands in my hair and turns me deaf with the squeeze of her thighs as she comes?”

The mouth on the other side of the telephone was hanging open. Nila knew because she could hear the girl’s heartbeat echoing out of her mouth like a hot mic humming through a speaker.

Holy cow. She was totally picturing it.

One second passed.

Then two.

Then, _“I gotta go.”_

_Click._

Ah, man!

Hanging up should totally be against the rules. They’d just been getting somewhere and— _click._

Gone.

Oh well … at least that call made a _little_ progress. At least she’d pictured it. That was something … maybe.

Time would tell.

 _Ding!_ _“Now serving customer 336,728.”_

And a fresh countdown clock dutifully counted down. _Tick-tock, tick-tock, this-sucked, this-sucked, so-dumb, so-dumb, fucked-up, fucked-up, tick-tock, tick-tock_ —

 _Ding!_ _“Now serving customer 336,729.”_

Silence for ten more seconds.

“Well, this is fun,” Nila sighed as she leaned into her hand and waited for her next Kara.

 

**

 

 _Ding!_ _“Now serving customer 343,003.”_

Silence, then, “Oh, my gosh. That’s me!” a surprised voice said from the waiting room. “Is this a dream? Am I really up?”

Nila waved the blonde over to the seat across from her desk. “You’re up, beautiful. What can I do for you?”

Her client hurried over like she’d just been called as a contestant on _The Price is Right_ and was ready to bid.

“I can’t believe it,” she rambled in baffled excitement. “I pulled this number forever ago—I think it was actually last year.”

Nila offered a pleasant smile as Kara sat. “Sorry for the long wait.”

Kara let out a little laugh, waving the apology off. “Honestly, when I saw how high the number was, I never thought you’d actually call it. But this place is always open and it’s so quiet.” She gave a short little look around—still not seeing all the other versions of her being less than patient in the waiting room she’d just left. “It’s easy to think here. So I just started coming here when I needed a place to get away. It’s a lot closer than my Fortress of Solitude and I still have full bars on my cell phone for messages. I’ve seen you take calls and stuff when other numbers are called but never thought I’d get called in to actually speak with you.”

“Yet here we are,” Nila said, charmed by this blonde’s happy glow. “My name is Nila. How can I help you today?”

The happy blushed changed to a deer-in-headlights look in a flash. “Oh … I … honestly? I might be wasting your time. I can’t even remember what made me walk in here in the first place. It’s been so long.”

Nila smiled. “And yet it’s a year later and you’re still here.”

The blonde bit her bottom lip. “Hmm. That’s true … but, seriously … I have no clue what was on my mind when I first walked in.”

“Well, while you’re remembering,” Nila said, moving into her required disclaimer. “It’s my duty to point out that everything you share with me here is confidential. Your secrets are safe with me. This is necessary because the more honest you are, the more I can help. And I’m here to help. So … tell me everything.”

“Oh,” the blonde stammered, blushing at the thought. “No offense, but I don’t know if I could do that with anyone.”

“Okay. But remember to think of me as a mirror that can only reflect with whatever you show me.”

“Huh,” the blonde said, her head tilting adorably. “How does that work?”

Nila shrugged. “Oh, pretty much like every conversation does. You tell me something you’re thinking, I listen carefully, and when you’re done, I’ll act super confident that I know the answer to one of your problems. And you do what you want from there.”

The blonde’s head tilted in adorable confusion. “Just One problem? Not all of them?”

Nila nodded. “Yep.”

“Okay,” the blonde laughed, clearly not believing her. “And is this a specific problem you’ll know the answer to, or are your answer just random?”

“Oh, my skill set is very specific,” Nila replied. “Think of me like a matchmaker between quantum entanglements that are total control freaks when it comes to the whole ‘tangling’ part.”

The blonde’s face scrunched like none of the words Nila had just said made sense. This one needed a different angle.

“Basically, I know who you’re supposed to kiss next,” Nila amended with a pleasant smile. “And I’m here to help you pucker up in whatever way I think might light a fire under your ass and get the job done.”

The blue eyes behind those fake glasses went wide. “Oh.”

 “So the more honest you are about what your world looks like to you outside of this waiting room, the more I can help you,” Nila finished.

“Well … I don’t know what to say,” the blonde stammered.

“How about we  start with your name?” Nila said with a smile.

“Oh. Yeah. Of course,” the blonde said with a blush. “My name is Kara.”

Nila smiled. “Good to meet you, Kara. How can I help you today?”

“I … you said this about kissing?”

Nila smirked. “Isn’t everything?”

Kara laughed. “Well, then … there _is_ this guy.”

Nila pursed her lips with interest. “A guy?”

“Yeah,” Kara said with a goofy smile.

“And what about this guy has caught your eye?”

Kara blushed slightly. “I mean, he’s great.”

Nila leaned in like they were getting to the good stuff. “Yeah?”

She faltered slightly. “Well, he wasn’t always. He was a super entitled misogynist when we first met. But that was before. He’s really changed a lot and he’s kind of starting to grow on me.”

“Hmm. They have creams for that, you know.”

Kara blinked in confusion. “What?”

“Never mind,” Nila said, waving the thought off. “Tell me about this new growth you’re experiencing.” 

“Well … it’s a guy. His name is Mon-el,” Kara confessed before chewing her lip as she tried to figure out what to say next.

Nila tilted her head with interest. “His mother named him that?”

“What? Oh. Yeah.” She blushed adorably for some reason. “His name _is_ a little odd, isn’t it? I forget that sometimes. But, yeah, he’s not from here.”

“Got it,” Nila said with a nod. “So tell me about this Mon-el. How’s the sex?”

Kara went full-blush. “Uh, awesome?”

Said like a question. Interesting. Nila leaned in. “Yeah? Best you ever had?”

Kara bit her lip—face somehow reddening further. “I mean … keeping it real?”

“Of course!”

“He’s kind of the only person I’ve _really_ been with,” Kara confessed, not quite meeting Nila’s eyes.

Nila’s jaw dropped but Kara continued before she could say anything.

“I’m … well, I’m kind of stronger than I look, and I’ve always been afraid to lose control. So, like, I’ve technically had sex before but … like. not really, if you know what I mean. But Mon-el is strong, like me, so it’s … yeah … I was pretty much a virgin my first time with him.”

“Wow,” Nila breathed. “It must have been such a relief to really let go with someone like that.”

Kara nodded, still a bit shy. “Yeah. And he’s … well, he’s been with literally hundreds of women, so he really knows what he’s doing. He’s taught me a _lot_ about the female body.”

“That sounds useful,” Nila said, leaning forward again.

“Totally. He’s the Swiss Army knife of sex.”

Nila pulled a face. “You might want to work on your metaphors. That one’s a little—”

“Yeah, I just heard it,” Kara said with a grimace. “Sorry. What I meant to say is that he’s really opening my mind to variations and stuff. Just that.”

“That’s good,” Nila said. “Now, back to my original question: Do you love him?”

A soft smile curved her lips. “I … never thought I would feel anything like this. I just started to believe that there wasn’t anyone out there for me, you know? I spent my whole life talking myself into the idea that I am meant to be alone in this world. And then, BOOM. Mon-el shows up.”

Nila leaned back in her seat, processing the second skirting of an actual answer to her question. “So he’s more than you ever imagined for yourself?”

“For sure!” Kara said, eyes growing dreamy. “I know it sounds melodramatic, but I have this … uh, genetic condition that makes relationships with other people a bit iffy—ethically speaking. I should probably never have children, for example. My DNA is … dominant— _really_ dominant—so the question is whether it should be perpetuated into the gene pool, or if things could go really wrong in a generation or two.”

“Okay,” Nila countered. “But there are lots of types of sex you can have without the risk of pregnancy.”

“True,” Kara agreed. “But it’s a lot to ask of a partner, you know? Never having kids—only adopting.”

Nila fought the urge to roll her eyes. “People marry infertile people every day, Kara.”

“I know,” Kara said quickly, eyes looking down at her hands. “It’s just … complicated. I can’t really go into it.”

“Are you sure?” Nila asked. “Remember, everything is confidential with me.”

A forlorn smile curved Kara’s lips as her voice took a sarcastic tone. “Right. You and the giant corporation keeping this business open 24/7 are funded purely by altruism. You make _all_ your money keeping secrets.”

Nila grinned. “You’re surprisingly accurate about the ‘secrets’ part, but I must confess we are not an altruistic organization.”

Kara froze like she’s just been caught in the cookie jar. “You’re not?”

Nila shook her head. “No way. When the ball gets rolling between us, my ethics get seriously shady. I’m here to lead every version of you to the starting line of your true destiny. And, trust me, it’s like trying to be the next Van Gogh while only being able to throw spaghetti at a wall. You’ll be amazed at some of the positions I’m willing to assume in the name of maybe finding a new angle that might actually be successful in getting your head out of your ass.”

Kara’s face scrunched. “Okay, I don’t know where to start with responding to that.”

“Well, I’m allowed to answer any question you ask, so have at it. Ask away.”

“Okay …” Kara said, the wheels in her head visibly chugging. “Let’s start with your mention of ‘every version’ of me.”

“Ah, yes. A very good place to start,” Nila replied.

“You’re saying there’s more than one of me out there?” Kara asked, looking honestly concerned. Pale even. “I have confirmed multiples?”

“Most definitely,” Nila said lightly. “But don’t worry. You’re not special. Everyone does. And the number you have is directly correlated to the planet you’re on. And you have the perfect number of Earth multiples. None of them are lost or trapped in a vortex or anything like that.”

Kara looked at her like she’d just asked her to climb aboard the Crazy Train. “Okaaaaaay. And, according to you, how many versions are there of me on this earth?”

“525,960,” Nila replied.

The blonde flinched, clearly not expecting that. “Whoa. That’s a lot.”

“It is,” Nila agreed. “But you only meet someone like me when all of those versions of you are fighting the same destiny.”

Kara looked beyond skeptical. “And this destiny has something to do with kissing someone I haven’t kissed yet?”

Nila let out a happy smile. “I love it when you don’t play dumb. Because, yes, the moment any version of you entangles with her quantum partner in her version of reality she loses the ability to connect with me like you are now. She moves on and all this bandwidth forges into the connection it always belonged to in the first place.”

Kara tried to play like she was skeptical, but Nila could see the intrigue in her eyes as she asked, “Based on a kiss?”

Nila nodded. “Kiss the right person and you will literally forget I exist. You’ll be too busy embracing your destiny.”

“Wait … so you’re saying my quantum partner isn’t Mon-el?”

“Well, technically, I’m not allowed to say that. And, for the record, I _didn_ _’t_ say that. But you can infer what you will about general statements I make.”

“Right,” Kara said, catching on to the game quickly. “So I guess what I’m hearing in your _general_ statement is that the possibility exists that there might be a different Mr. Right out there for me somewhere who is _not_ named Mon-el?”

Nila shrugged, playing along. “I guess something like that could be possible if you find yourself sitting across from me.”

“And when I kiss this other person—”

“—your quantum entanglement—”

“Right. When I kiss my _quantum entanglement_ I will see my destiny?”

Nila flashed the girl a thumbs up. “Nailed it!”

“And what’s that?” Kara asked.

“What’s what?” Nila asked. “No vague questions. Use your words.”

Kara rolled her eyes. “Destiny. What’s my destiny?”

“Oh, I can’t tell you that,” Nila said. “That’s something that unfolds as it happens. And a lot of that unfolding has to do with how long it takes all the yous to get on the same page when it comes to embracing entanglement.”

The blonde looked skeptical. “No offense, but I’m pretty sure I already know what my destiny is.”

“No offense,” Nila echoed back. “But if you’re sitting across from me, I’m pretty sure you don’t. I’m pretty sure you’re super up-in-your-head about your destiny and riding every excuse in the book into 525,960 paths of avoidance.”

“Wait …” Kara said, blinking in confusion. “That’s every version of me.”

Oh. Whoops. She’d caught that.

“It is,” Nila confessed with a grimace—hoping she hadn’t broken a rule.

Kara shook her head like she didn’t believe it. “If _all_ of the versions of are on paths avoiding destiny/ Wouldn't that mean you are _terrible_ at your job?”

Ouch. That stung a little. “Well, let’s just say there’s a reason both of us are here and keep it at that.”

“And, meanwhile, I’m supposed to believe that you know my real destiny and I don't?”

“Your destiny is the only thing I _do_ know about you,” Nila replied. “Everything non-destiny related that's a mystery to me when it comes to you.”

“Riiight,” Kara drawled, folding her arms. “So you’re allowed to talk to me, but prohibited from telling me the one thing you allege to know?”

“You’ve got it,” Nila said with a nod. “That’s the deal.”

“And how is that supposed to help me?”

“I lead you to the 525,960 kisses that will allow you to see your destiny for yourself.”

“Riiiiiiiight,” Kara said, clearly holding back a skeptical laugh.

“It’s true. Words are cheap, and seeing is believing. Telling you actually makes you fight against it harder—especially if you think you already know what’s right. As much as it hurts our pride to admit, the best path to enlightenment is found on the path of pure ignorance.”

“So … not even a hint?” Kara tried again.

Nila fought a smile. She liked this Kara. “Like I said before, I’m like a mirror. I can only riff with what you give or ask me. I can’t compose or fill in blanks for you outside of providing general information. I need you to lead me to your destiny. I can’t drag you. So if you want to ask about specifics, ask away. But you have to be the one to bring up details. I can’t do that for you. It’s against the rules.”

“And who wrote the rules?”

Nila shrugged helplessly. “Quantum, I guess. I’m not sure, actually. It’s just how the system works.”

Kara stared at her, unblinking, for several beats. “Nila, you run a very strange business.”

“Tell me about it,” Nila sighed.

“The longer I sit here, the more I keep wondering what the hell I’m even doing here, and why I came in the first place.”

“Oh, your subconscious leads you here,” Nila replied, even though it technically wasn’t a question. “Out in the real world, real-you is daydreaming right now. The moment something catches your attention back wherever you really are, you’ll disconnect with me here and forget every word we’ve said. All you’ll remember are the pictures that came to mind while we were chatting. For example, you might remember thinking about kissing people not named Mon-el. And you might feel guilty—like you mentally cheated on him while you were spaced out. Or, you might actually start wondering about other people you might want to kiss before really committing to him. And, to be honest, that’s the thought I’m really going for in all this.”

Kara looked scandalized. “You are?”

“Definitely,” Lena replied, putting her hands in a prayer position. “But experience has taught me that you won’t go so far as to do that.”

And one look at Kara proved her right. The blonde already looked guilty just imagining her future guilt.

“You can’t know that,” Kara said.

“I can.”

“How?” she asked.

“Because I know how scared shitless you are to fully connect with your soulmate.”

“Fully connect?” Kara asked, seemingly confused. “How do you know I haven’t?”

“Oh, you know when it happens. Everyone does.”

“How? How … do you know if you’ve fully connected?”

“Well, Kara,” Nila said, channeling the tone of a gentle parent. “When the attraction between two entanglements becomes  _so_ charged that it overrides the physical body’s capacity to repel the object of its attraction in space and time, it turns out fucking themselves together into a force of nature becomes the only path forward for both parties.”

Kara froze. “You mean …”

“Yes, Kara. Sex. _So_ much sex. Mind-melting sex—that’s how you know you’ve fully entangled. You will glimpse the source code of your entire existence whenever you come together with your quantum buddy. So, trust me, you won't be asking around for third-party confirmation once it's happened to you. You'll know.”

Every feature on Kara’s face moved into O’s of shock at Nila’s claim—her eyes … her lips … her nostrils. All formed into adorable little O’s. And while a bunch of little O’s were moving in the right direction, what Nila really needed was for the girl to embrace some bigger ones.

“Your destiny,” Nila added. “Should you choose to accept it, is to have your entire perception of reality blown out of the water via soul-melting orgasms that will ultimately merge your life force on a molecular level with your soulmate.”

“Whoa. That … sounds intense.”

“It tends to be.”

Kara chewed on her lip, looking a little worried. “Have you done it?”

Nila smiled. Big. “Who says I’m not doing it right now?”

Kara’s mouth fell open, her expression scandalized.

Nila shrugged helplessly. “Hey, there are 525,960 versions of me, too. And—thank God—only one of me is stuck here doing community service with you.”

“Wait,” Kara said, doing the math. “You’re not here voluntarily?”

Nila waffled her hand back and forth. “I’m here because I screwed something up and helping you is my only shot at making reparations for an epic fail in a completely unrelated arena. My outcome in all that is not certain. But, if I help you, repairs  _might_ be made in my own personal karmic shit show. So while I’m here voluntarily—and I want to help—my motives really aren't all that altruistic. Helping you is in my self-interest, and that’s why I’m doing it. Make sense?”

“Barely,” Kara said, staring off at nothing.

Oh, no.

Shit.

Nila knew that look. She had overloaded the poor girl with too much information. That meant her mind was going to—

“You know what sounds good right now,” Kara said, voice dreamy. “Strawberry ice cream.”

“Wait!”

A blink later, the blonde was gone and her seat left empty.

“Dammit!” Nila groaned, flopping back into her seat as the overhead speaker did its thing.

 _Ding!_ _“Now serving customer 343,004.”_

This was going to take forever.

Literally.

 


	2. Yet Another Gala

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I thought this chapter would be short; it's not.
> 
> I also thought it would be totally bizarre; it is.
> 
> So there's that ... along with a trigger warning that you might be prompted to think of a man who makes you scream at the sky.
> 
> But if you're willing to travel to hell and back for our girls, then this chapter goes out to you: the ones who brave it all for love!

When Nila walked through the door in her office, she found herself standing in a banquet hall draped in white.

A wedding, perhaps? Or an award ceremony of some sort?

Odd. Why would Kara want to meet her here?

“I’m sorry,” a familiar voice said from behind her. “I don’t think you’re supposed to be back here. The doors haven’t opened.”

Nila turned to see the blonde she knew better than any other, wearing a formal navy gown and holding a sparkling clutch in her hands.

“Ah, there you are,” Nila said with a smile before making a show of looking around the room again. “If you don’t mind me asking, where exactly are we?”

Kara blinked in confusion before her expression turned suspicious. “The L-Corp charity banquet. How did you get past security?”

Nila ignored the question and took note of a chocolate fountain getting its flow on before focusing on Kara again. “Are you here as a reporter, or as a date?”

“A d-date?” Kara stammered, suddenly losing some of her Supergirl confidence. “Who’s date would I be?”

“Nevermind,” Nila said with a wave. “Just wishful thinking on my part. Reporter, it is! Lemme guess. Ms. Luthor is giving you a pre-tour of her banquet as part of some article.”

“CatCo is covering the event,” Kara replied with professional pride.

“Of course, it is,” Nila replied doing a look around to find the area was clear of staff. The room looked pristine and all the workers seemed to be off doing other tasks.

Convenient.

Kara’s face scrunched. “Why do you say it like that?”

“Like what?” Nila replied, blinking her eyes in the model of melodramatic innocence to try to get Kara to ask a fully formed question.

“Like … nevermind.”

A swing and a miss.

Nila sighed up at the ceiling. “Man, if you can’t even say it out loud, we’re doomed.”

Kara perked up—her posture becoming more Supergirl in nature. “Say _what_ out loud? Doomed, how? Who are you?”

Nila tilted her head in honest curiosity. “You don’t remember making this appointment?”

“Why would I remember?”

Nila shrugged. “Not sure. Still trying to figure that part out.”

Kara looked at her like she was making zero sense.

“We just recently added the _Make an Appointment_ feature as an alternative to staying on hold,” Nila explained. “And this is the time and the place you chose for our appointment. All I did was show up. You know more than me.”

Kara’s lips moved into a thin line as she took a step closer to Nila. “I made no such call.”

And she thought she was telling the truth. Nila could see it. Kara had no memory of her call.

Great.

Nila sighed before pulling out her phone and talking to herself as she made a note. “We should probably add some follow-up questions to the Make-an-Appointment option requesting backstory as to what I’m walking into if you’re going to have amnesia half the time.”

“Half the time?” Kara asked, clearly confused. “This is the first time we’ve met.”

“Yep,” Nila decided, saving the note and tucking her phone away again. “Definitely adding a questionnaire.”

Kara looked at her like she was crazy.

“Sorry,” Nila said, hoping to keep the woman calm. “Trust me, this is as weird for me as it is for you. Still working out the kinks. But we’ll get there.”

All of a sudden, Protective Kara was back. “Get where?”

“Can’t tell you,” Nila whispered behind her hand. “All I know right now is that you scheduled me to join you on a walkthrough of this space with Lena Luthor herself. And I don’t see another human in sight. It’s almost like Lena instructed them all to be somewhere else right now so the two of you could be alone.”

“I … I think they’re all just done working,” Kara stammered, looking around as if realizing the room really was empty for the first time.

“Right,” Nila drawled. “I don’t see any silverware on the table, but I’m sure they’re done setting up.”

“Maybe they’re serving finger food?” Kara ventured.

Ah, there was the Kara she knew so well—pushing the limits of reality in her self-rationalizations.

“You’re lucky you have blue eyes,” Nila decided.

Again, Kara looked baffled. “Blue eyes? Why? What does the color of my eyes have to do with anything?”

 _All the better to play dumb with, my dear,_ Nila thought. But she didn’t say it out loud. She was clearly staring down the barrel of yet another Help Desk failure, but she could at least do some information gathering before she got kicked out.

It wasn’t like Kara would ever remember seeing her or say anything if she did anyway.

Out of sight, out of mind.

“You still haven’t explained how you got past security,” Kara said with authority.

“I haven’t, have I,” Nila replied as she made a mental list of all the things that would be helpful in that moment.

A tracker on Lena, that was for sure.

This was the first time Nila had shown up to an “appointment” like this where both women hadn’t already been present together, and it would be really nice to know how far away Lena was … or if she was coming at all.

Well, she wasn’t _coming_ at all.

Nila already knew that.

When it came to Ms. Luthor and feeling pleasure, It. Had. Been. Ages.

The woman was a workaholic who was always too tired to do anything on her own, and too guilty about what she wanted to imagine to get there to even get to second base with herself.

Poor thing.

The only sighs that came from Lena’s bed anymore were sighs of resignation. And all the Karas in all the ‘verses were too chickenshit to do anything about it.

So, while Nila knew Lena definitely wasn’t _coming_ in the colloquial sense of the word, it would have been very helpful right about then to know if Lena was planning on coming in the Merriam Webster sense of the word.

Nila pulled out her phone again and typed in, _Add trackers._

There.

Now this trip wasn’t a total waste. She needed a questionnaire on the appointment setter and trackers following both Kara’s and Lena’s locations in all visited ‘verses.

Nila eyed the chocolate fountain again, licking her lips involuntarily.

Now, if she _really_ wanted this trip to be worthwhile—

“I’m going to need to ask you to leave,” Kara said, her voice low with authority as she interrupted Nila’s happier thoughts of dripping chocolate.

Okay. Fine. No chocolate.

Nila turned back to the blonde. “Well, that’s a little rude considering I’m only here because you asked me to be.”

“Not true,” Kara said, stepping forward like Nila might have a gun.

“Totally true,” Nila countered. “You knew where you would be right now and who you would be with, and you asked for my help to do something you’ve wanted to do for a _long_ time.”

Kara’s face stayed strong while her throat swallowed nervously. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Whatever you say, blue eyes,” Nila drawled.

“It’s true!”

Nila rolled her eyes. “Tell it to someone who doesn’t already know better, babe. I’m here to help but I can only do it if you ask. It can’t be my idea.”

“What can’t?”

“ _It_ can’t,” Nila replied.

Those baby blues blinked blankly behind the lead-lined glasses. “Has anyone ever told you that you make no sense?”

Nila shook her head. “No, honey. It’s the other way around. I’m the only one who _does_ make sense _._ It’s the rest of you all who are crazy. I see no less than five spots out of camera view where far more interesting pre-tours could take place between you and your host. But I’m guessing you’re planning to _ooh_ and _ahh_ over the fold of the napkins instead.”

“Well, they are quite nice,” Kara replied, her tone conversational again. “I actually added that to my list of questions.”

Nila let her head fall back as she looked at the ceiling again. “Beam me up, Scottie. No signs of intelligent life on this planet. It’s time to move on.”

“No signs of…?” Kara babbled, sounding offended. “I’ll have you know I’m…”

Nila looked back at the blonde. “Incapable of finishing a complete thought?”

“No!”

“Hmm,” Nila hummed, looking the flustered girl over. “Tell me, Kara. What am I doing here? Why did you ask me to be right here, right now?”

When Kara opened her mouth to reply, a whole lot of nothing came out.

Par for the course.

Nila pulled out her phone again and typed, _Eject button?_

She already knew the answer on that one. The rules were that only Kara could sever their connection. But, seriously. How dumb was that rule? This Kara was dressed as elegantly as Nila had ever seen her and was about to be alone with Lena Luthor … and she planned on spending the time talking about napkins?

It was clearly time to move on to greener pastures. There was nothing but drought here.

Nila should have an eject button for moments just like this.

“I don’t even know who you are,” Kara replied. “How would I know _why_ you are here?”

Nila looked up from her phone, growing still and doing a mental check through the rulebook before speaking next. “Why don’t you ask me?”

“Ask you what?”

 _Seriously, girl, if all Rao_ _’s followers were as daft as you it’s no wonder your planet blew up!_ “What do you _want_ to ask me?”

“Well, your name, for starters.”

“My name is Nila,” she replied with a professional smile. “Anything else?”

“Yes,” Kara said, raising her chin a little higher as if pulling rank. “What do you do?”

“I’m a soulmate matchmaker, specializing in first kisses.” She winked at Kara and added in a sing-song voice, “Because once you get one, you’ll never be done.”

Kara’s mouth fell open in disbelief at the reply.

“Do you like that tagline?” Nila asked. “I made it up myself, but I’m still not sure about it. I have about five I’m trying to decide between for the business cards I’ll never make.”

“W-wait,” Kara stammered in response, her eyes still glazed over in shock. “You’re saying me … and Lena?”

Nila shook her head. “I’m saying nothing. You’re the one who made the appointment for me to be here. I’m just following your lead while stating the obvious.”

Kara took her first step back since the beginning of the encounter. “B-but Lena would never…”

“Never, what?” Nila asked, with a bit of hope. If she could get the darn blonde to admit one thing out loud maybe this entire trip wouldn’t be a waste.

“Never … me,” was Kara’s version of a reply.

“Never—what—you?” Nila pressed. “I think you missed a verb in there.”

Kara shook her head again, whispering more to herself than for Nila. “All her exes are men.”

“ _All_ of them?” Nila pressed. “Have you asked her about that?”

The _No_ was silent in Kara’s response.

“And how about you?” Nila asked. “Aren’t all your exes male? Wouldn’t it be totally out of the blue for you to be interested in a female?”

Again, no response.

“So you tell me, Kara,” Nila said, folding her arms as she leveled her gaze at the other woman. “Why would someone like you ask someone like me to be here? What’s that about?”

Watching Kara try to find the words for a response was like watching an aria sung on mute.

Adorbs.

“Look, Kara,” Nila said after several moments of watching unspoken vowels try to find their way out of the blonde’s lips with no success. “We’re at the point of our encounter where you either bail or confess. It’s one or the other. You can play blonde or be bold … but I wouldn’t recommend trying for both at the same time in this particular situation, or we’ll all end up ten steps back from where we started. But it’s your choice. So choose.”

Nila wasn’t really expecting anything other than a call for security, so she was all but certain she was hearing things when a soft voice whispered, “What would I even say?”

Wait.

What?

Was that ... a cue? An honest-to-goodness cue?

Shit.

What the fuck was she supposed to do with one of those? This was uncharted territory. Yes, she’d drilled responses to possible honest inquiries from Kara in practice, but this was not a drill!

This was 1/525,960th real!

“Anything!” Nila blurted, meaning it. “You could literally do anything, Kara. A soulmate is always ready to meet you half way. Especially when they see you’re the one taking the risk.”

Kara looked the opposite of encouraged. “But what if Lena isn’t my soulmate?”

Nila shrugged. “Then she isn’t your soulmate. Just a good friend who’s been through the Awkward Zone with you and survived to laugh about it with you over late-night wine.”

Kara didn’t smile. “I don’t think I could laugh about her not kissing me back.”

Holy shit.

 _This is NOT a drill!_ Nila’s mind screamed at her as she searched for the right thing to say. So far, she seemed to be striking out.

Nila cleared her throat, doing her best to appear unflustered. “Is the possibility of rejection worse than never knowing?”

Silence. Then, “I wouldn’t even know what to do.”

 _Please don_ _’t be saying what I think you’re saying._  “How so?”

Kara blinked, as if surprised she’d spoken out loud, then her cheeks blushed. “Well, yeah … you know,” she stuttered.

Nila seriously needed to start praying for the opposite of what she wanted. Whoever ran the Ask Box of the Universe clearly had it out for her.

“Well, if you’re looking for my thoughts on _that_ matter, all I can say is that I’m pretty sure you’ll figure things out in record time,” Nila replied. “And, that if you make your moves fast enough, your soulmate will be in such disbelief that anything is happening at all that all critiques on technique will go right out the window.”

“Move … fast?” Kara choked, as if the idea had never occurred to her. “I couldn’t. What if she felt disrespected and never spoke to me again?”

Oh. Puh-lease.

But Kara wasn’t done. “And what if I tell her and she never talks to me again?”

Nila held back a sigh. “Like when Winn told you how he felt and you never spoke to him again?”

Kara blinked in shock. “How did you know abou—”

“Or when you and James didn’t work out and how you haven’t spoken since?”

“Who told you—”

“It doesn’t matter,” Nila said over her. “What matters is what you do in this room. Right here, right now—dressed in a gorgeous gown with your makeup on point.” Nila stepped forward. “Are you going to be honest with yourself as to why you made an extra effort? Why you bought a new dress—”

“I didn’t have anything appropriate—”

“Why you spent extra time in front of the mirror…”

Mute Kara was back—cheeks flushed with guilt.

Nila looked over to the main entrance. “Look, Kara. Lena Luthor is going to walk through that door any second. I can’t even imagine what’s detained her to make her this late, but when she walks through that door—alone—you can be rest assured she carved the hell out of her schedule to make this meeting with you possible. You know that, and I know that.”

Kara audibly gulped and made no denial this time.

“The question on the table is: what do you want to do about that?”

Nila considered the gentle bite Kara made on her bottom lip on par with a confession.

“Now I can’t tell you who your soulmate is, Kara,” Nila continued. “Only _you_ know who that is. But I can tell you that if you want to know—for sure—all it takes is a kiss.”

The Girl of Steel was frozen as if she’d succumbed to her own sub-zero breath until she finally managed to squeak, “But… what would I say?”

Nila did her best to keep the exasperation out of her voice. “Anything.”

Kara shook her head, her eyes looking at some scene only she could see in her mind. “What would I do?”

“Again, literally anything,” Nila replied. “I can’t tell you what to do. Only you can.”

That got a cynical chuckle out of the blonde. “Right. I’m supposed to tell her I don’t know the first thing about being with a woman, only that I want to be with her?”

“Uh, yeah,” Nila said with an enthusiastic nod. “Soulmates totally swoon for stuff like that. Just remember to follow it up with a kiss as soon as possible and blast that Awkward Zone to hell. One kiss is all it will take to find out if you really want what you want.”

Turning pale for once, Kara shook her head. “What if I say the wrong thing?”

Nila fought back a groan. “Kara, you could literally walk up to the woman and say, ‘ _I don_ _’t know where a clit is on a woman, can you show me yours?’_ then grab her like Trump possessed you, and your soulmate would _still_ fall into your arms and kiss you back” ...  _eventually,_ she added silently.

Kara looked scandalized. “I. Would. Never!”

Nila shrugged. “I know. So does your soulmate. Because soulmates know each other's hearts in any scenario. That's why I’m saying that  _could_   happen and—”

“What are you two talking about?”

Both Nila and Kara jumped at the new voice, turning to find that Lena Luthor had appeared out of nowhere—or, at least, from somewhere that definitely wasn’t the main doors.

Someone should really hang a bell around that woman. Even Supergirl had missed her entrance, which was … a really decent pun, actually.

But one Nila probably shouldn't try to say out loud just then.

She bit her lips and smiled instead. “Ms. Luthor, I presume.”

“You presume correctly,” the raven-haired woman replied with a more authentic danger in her tone than Kara could ever pull off. “And I’ll repeat my question. What are you two talking about?”

Oh.

Well.

Damn.

They were in a super grey area here but, as far as Nila knew, she was allowed to answer direct questions so long as she answered them honestly. Which was super-awkward, all considering ... but maybe that's just what these two needed.

A big splash of awkward.

“Well,” Nila said, sending a look over to the shellshocked blonde. “Actually, we were talking about how Kara doesn’t know how to find a clit on another woman.”

Kara’s breath hitched before she hissed, “Nila!” in mortification.

Nila leaned into Lena, as if sharing a secret. “She’s never even tried if you can believe it. But she wants to. So I was just giving her some tips on where to start.”

Nila had never seen Lena Luthor’s eyes more dangerous than when she put her full focus on Nila and asked, “Where to start?”

Nila ignored each and every red flag popping up around her like weeds and stuck with her perky tone. “Mm-hmm. I was telling her the best way to find out is to just go for it.”

“Go for it?” Lena replied, her voice dripping with danger but this time Nila had to fight not to roll her eyes. The woman was just repeating the last three words she’d heard in dark tones. Nothing spooky about that. If anything, it showed how little her brain was working at the thought of Kara touching another woman.

If jealousy could drip like a chocolate fountain it would come close describing the wrath Nila saw seething in Lena's eyes.

But Nila pretended not to notice.

This was the closest she'd ever come to having a chance. As unlikely as success was, she had to go for it.

“Right,” Nila said through a nonchalant smile. “I mean, Kara’s hot, right? Don’t you think she could get away with it?”

Lena’s eyes flared open as if she didn’t believe what she’d just heard.

“Lena, I would never,” Kara pled in her defense.

“Duh,” Nila said, turning back to the blonde. “Of course, you wouldn’t. But that doesn’t mean it might not work.”

Lena stepped forward, all the hate in her body aimed at Nila. “Ma’am, I think it’s time—”

“You just cup your hand, like this,” Nila said, demonstrating a cupped position to Kara who unconsciously mimicked it.

Lena was _not_ having it. “You need to leave—”

“And when she gets close enough…”

Kara looked like she might choke on what Nila said next but was too gobsmacked to use any of her superpowers to stop it.

“Get away from her!” Lena commanded, reaching out to take hold of Nila herself and that’s when Nila cupped Kara’s hand in hers and pressed it forward.

“… make contact,” Nila finished just as Kara’s hand pressed where it had never pressed before.

Both women froze—locking eyes for a stunned second before Kara ripped her hand away.

“I’m so sorry,” she stammered, holding her hand like it had been burned by the contact.

Lena was too busy not breathing to reply right away.

“I swear,” Kara continued, clearly starting to panic. “I would never do that without your consent.”

That got a blink out of Lena. “Without my consent?”

Ah, there she went with the three-word-echo thing again. Nila pulled away and settled in to watch the two women who could suddenly only look at each other.

“Of course,” Kara stammered. “What just happened was totally disrespectful.”

“Yes. It was,” Lena agreed, even as she made no move to step away. “But it wasn’t your fault. It was your friend’s—”

“She’s not my friend!” Kara said over her. “I’ve never even seen her before.”

Lena’s jaw clenched in anger, her voice a sexy tone that screamed territorial when she asked, “So why were you talking about seducing women with her?”

Kara’s entire face turned bright red. “I…”

“Remember the Awkward Zone we talked about?” Nila whispered, trying to help. “You’re in it right now, Kara, and there’s only one way out.”

Lena’s eyes refocused on Nila like lasers—and, damn, were those pupils blown. “You’re the one who’s _out_. Out of this building and out of my life. Now and forever. I never want to see your face again.”

Oh, if only Nila were so lucky.

Lena brought her phone up in her hand as she added, “My security will see to that.”

“Ah, man,” Nila groaned. “I don’t even get to see you two kiss after all that?”

“Kiss?” Lena scoffed. “What kind of pervert are you? You think we're going to kiss?”

Lena was so focused on Nila that she didn’t notice the crestfallen look that appeared on Kara’s face at the venom of the refusal.

Suddenly, Kara looked quite broken and Nila's stomach dropped down to the souls of her feet.

Oh, shit.

What had she done?

Had she broken them somehow? Would Kara go into full retreat mode now? And would the weight of this rejection seep into other ‘verses, constipating them all more than they already were? Was that even possible?

Had Nila totally just screwed up?

The fear must have shown on Nila’s face because Lena looked at Kara to see what Nila was reacting to and saw the blonde collecting herself for a graceless exit.

“I’m sorry,” Kara was already bumbling as she stepped away. “This is just … I should just…”

Lena reached forward and grabbed Kara’s wrist. “No,” she said with quiet feeling. “Don’t go. You stay.”

Kara couldn’t meet her eyes, lightly tugging her hand away in an attempt to sever the connection. “No. I think it’s best if I just—”

“Kara,” Lena breathed softly. “Stay.”

Their eyes locked then—a thousand questions in both gazes as they measured each other in transfixed silence.

Then, the impossible happened: Kara’s gaze dipped to Lena’s lips.

Lena’s lips parted in silent shock when she caught the look before her focus dropped six inches, too.

“ _Annnnd_ kiss,” Nila breathed as the two leaned in ... then paused as if both making sure they knew for sure what they were leaning into. Then Kara’s hand wove its way up into Lena’s hair and she pulled Lena in and—

the world went white and suddenly Nila was sitting back at her desk.

Wait! No fair!

“Seriously?!” Nila yelled up at the ceiling.

Where was Kara? Where was Lena? Where the fuck was their kiss, and why the fuck was Nila stuck back at her hell-hole of a desk?

A moment later, a happy chime sounded and a progress board Nila had never seen before appeared next to the clock on the wall.

 

_1 Entanglement Served_

 

And Nila didn’t know whether to cheer or cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys, I'm going to start tweeting poetry this week.
> 
> Wait. You didn't know I was a poet? Well, that makes two of us. Neither did I. But that shit's popping like popcorn for me right now, although I'll try to keep from posting more than one a day, once I start going.
> 
> Follow me @thesmuttybard to watch the popcorn appear LIVE!


	3. Game On!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I know this premise is kind of a brain cramp for some. I was playing with a way to write it that is a little experimental, so thank you for sticking with me. This is the last chapter of premise-building. For those of you who read it with a solid "Huh?" in the back of your mind, I'm hoping that it grows on you in retrospect. ;)
> 
> If not, may you still enjoy Chapter 4 and beyond!  
> *fingers crossed*

The one-of-a-kind sting of the super-smack Kara used to banish Nila from her most recent failed “appointment” had Nila seeing stars all the way back to her glass-walled office.

When her vision cleared, Nila found herself seated at her desk.

No happy tone chimed her success, and the sign on the wall still read:

 

_1 Entanglement Served_

Massaging her jaw while making sure it still worked, Nila pressed the _Pause_ button on the _Now Serving_ clock to give herself a moment and opened the notebook resting on the desk to make a final note:

 

_Emergency Tactic: Left rib, second from the bottom (Lena)_

 

Then Nila opened the top drawer of her desk and tucked the notebook away in the unlikely event she needed to reference it again—even though she was fairly certain she wouldn’t.

Not when Kara had already smacked the rules into Nila’s long-term memory, in person.

But now that Nila had painstakingly mapped out the many off-ramps to certain failure, it was time to start scoring wins. To do that, Nila needed the tool belt she’d been building and refining over her last 1,000 test runs—a belt that had as many as 33 tools at one point, but was now whittled down to 5.

Tool 1: A biometric tracker for tracking down stray Lenas and Karas who were running late or running away. Nila couldn’t help the fools if she couldn’t get them in the same space.

Tool 2: An image inducer so they didn’t see her face and remember vague recollections from other verses that made them twitchy about trusting her in the here-and-now. Her name, she could keep. Kara and Lena didn’t seem to trigger negatively at it—quite the opposite. They both seemed to associate the ping of recognition they felt upon hearing with Nila another woman named Nia, and that worked in Nila’s favor.

But her face needed to change with each new scene.

Tool 3: Mobil access to the intake form (that Kara always forgot she filled out) clueing Nila into key dynamics of the current ‘verse each time she arrived on a scene.

The ladies were a bit of a clusterfuck in how they compartmentalized across eventualities. Having the intake forms helped Nila keep timelines straight, which was important in not stirring up confusion that distracted from chemistry.

Tool 4: A special liquor that only existed in 15 of the ‘verses. The manufacturer called it _Happy Juice._ And the manufacturer did not lie. In each of the 15 ‘verses the beverage existed in, it was Kara’s favorite secret. She drank it at the end of a hard night—instead of wine—to keep her brain from settling into stress responses, like PTSD.

While Kara’s cousin, Clark, leaned into Lois and love when things got hard, Kara played things stoic until she could get home and get a drink.

Happy Juice was different from alcohol in that it promoted an immersive sense of well-being and safety. It didn’t make people stupid. It just made people feel safe leaning into wants and needs.

There was a difference.

The 15 Karas who knew of it were very careful to only drink it when they were alone with her phone hidden away. Kara seemed content to take a few shots and just dance and sing around her apartment until it was time to sleep. She used it like medicine—telling everyone she had a migraine when she drank it to buy herself the time to ride out its effects and show up fresh for a new day at work.

And, yes, it got her smiling for work again, but it also drew her more and more into self-isolation. Telling herself she had to be strong, Kara watched the people around her lean into each other and form relationships while she increasingly leaned into a drink for the same effect.

It was time to poke the bear a little bit when it came to that, in Nila’s opinion. Drinking alone was not a healthy habit. Ever. 

And, last but not least, Tool 5: Nila’s superior wit and charm, combined with her no holds barred comfort zone.

Kara and Lena were such choreographed repression around each other that even the slightest glance in a mirror threw them into a tailspin self-aware panic.

Nila’s inherent ability to tease dynamics was her real weapon in all this—her secret “more cowbell” schtick that somehow played well in every scene she showed up in. Both women were so damn thirsty that they drank in the most absurd possibilities that trickled their way. And they were so busy looking for raindrops in a desert sky that they’d never see Nila’s fire hose coming from their blindsides.

That’s what Nila had really learned over these past 1,000 failures: she needed to lean into her strengths and get Lena and Kara following her lead instead of each other’s. Because those two silly gooses only knew how to go in circles. So all Nila had to do was turn those circles into rings on a target that she put into their line of sight and _tada!_ She was golden!

At least, that was her theory.

A theory Nila was officially ready to test.

Making sure she had everything, Nila took a deep breath and un-pressed the _Pause_ button.

It was time to entangle two single platonics into a constant correlation across the entirety of the quantum realm.

Looking down at the Intake Form that popped with  her next number, Nila smiled.

"This one's going to be fun," she said to no one in particular as her office faded from view and was replaced with a bar and the crooning of what sounded like Barry White on Prozac over a poorly produced minus track.

Ugh. Karaoke night.

 


	4. A Favor on Karaoke Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara meets a stranger in a bar...

As the final strains of Barry White’s _Can_ _’t Get Enough of Your Love, Baby_ played from the karaoke stage, James returned the mic to its stand and waved to his cheering fans around Kara’s table.

Corrine and Lena clapped politely on opposite ends of the table while Winn screamed the loudest and Kara used her superior height to give James the highest clap. Alex was playing things a little more subdued tonight, sitting with her arm draped around Corrine and giving _whoops_ of appreciation whenever someone from their table was up but mostly playing it cool.

Only Lena retained her dignity with the polite applause she offered performers two seats away from where Kara sat.

Instinct told Kara she should be sitting next to her best friend, but James had taken the seat next to Kara when he and Lena had arrived, sticking Lena with the far-end.

His seat was empty now, but in about ten seconds it wouldn’t be.

Kara didn’t know why that bothered her, but somehow the buffer chair between her and the friend she saw far too little of these days felt like an elephant in the room. Ever since James and Lena had hooked up, the spot next to Lena was always taken. And Kara had to scoot over and let “Guardian” have first crack at saving the day.

It felt weird, sure, but Kara knew committed relationships were like that. People who were together didn’t like being apart.

Hell, it had taken dating James to get Lena to karaoke night. She’d never come when Kara invited her.

Just like Kara had never made Lena blush the way she was as she waited for James to rejoin her with the promise of a kiss reflecting in his eyes as he approached.

Lena was happy. Really happy. And she deserved that happiness.

So did James.

Just like Kara deserved another drink.

When Lena stood from her chair to greet James, Kara took the opportunity to look Alex’s way and pretend she had bigger things on her mind.

“I’m going to check to see where I am on the list,” she said, smile extra bright for no reason. “Want me to put you down for a song while I’m there?”

Alex shook her head. “I’m good being a spectator tonight.”

With a hot date snuggled under her arm? Who could blame her?

Kara heard light suction of Lena and James’s closed-mouth kiss behind her. “Cool. Be right back.”

When Kara turned to high-five James on his karaoke victory, she found one of his arms draped around Lena in claim. Careful not to focus on that, she smiled up at him. “You sounded ama-zing!”

It was true, and he knew it. Kara saw it in his smile.

“Hey, thanks,” he said, pulling Lena in closer to his side. Kara could feel Lena waiting for Kara to look her way but couldn’t think of anything to say to her friend so she pretended not to notice her focus.

“Gonna check my song,” she announced instead, pointing toward the deejay before making an escape.

Two steps later, the table was behind her and Kara was on the path of escape to cooler air and more neutral smells than the scents of Lena and James swirling together. With each step away, everything started smelling like a regular bar again.

As she leaned into the relief of clearer air, Kara toyed with the idea of getting herself a _real_ drink this time.

She needed to chill out and just let loose. Lena and James were happy.

Why shouldn’t Kara be happy, too?

Signaling Al behind the bar, Kara gave him a discreet thumbs up indicating she wanted her next order to be from the top shelf. Al nodded his understanding and kept working on his current order as Kara did as promised and checked the karaoke list.

Only two more songs, then her.

Kara was weirdly nervous for her turn and hated that she knew why.

Lena.

Lena had never heard Kara sing before … and it wasn’t like Kara doubted that she had a decent voice. She totally did. She just didn’t know how Lena would react to hearing it.

Would she like it?

Would she be indifferent to it?

The latter possibility made Kara feel impossibly ill. So she’d opted for a silly song … a talk-sing song she could joke her way through. Because the only thing worse than Lena maybe not liking her singing was the thought of actually trying to impress her and having Lena not react at all.

Kara might lose the will to ever sing again. And she needed karaoke night.

She just did.

So best to just keep things stupid for the night. It had already been a rough day—which was how they’d ended up at the bar in the first place. Kara didn’t need to end the stress of the day with the mindfuck of singing for her first Luthor.

Better to be just drunk and silly like everyone else.

Seeing Al reaching for the shelf where the _real_ stuff was, Kara moved started the bar but was stopped when a soft hand slipped into hers from behind.

“I need the _hugest_ favor,” a female voice whispered against her ear—leaving Kara confused as to how someone had gotten so close without her noticing.

How distracted was she tonight?

“ _Please_ tell me you’re not here with a date,” the stranger added. “Because you’re perfect.”

Totally thrown off balance, Kara turned to see the owner of the touchy-feely hand and smooth voice.

The face that met hers had Kara catching her breath. The stranger was hot—Lucy hot—and Kara felt her jaw go slack that a woman who could have anyone in the bar she wanted was actually talking to her. Not that Kara thought she was ugly. She wasn’t. But she _had_ dug deep in the grandma-fashion side of her closet that night in an effort to keep her expectations in check.

Nothing about her current look should be catching the eye of the legitimately hot biker chick currently looking her up and down like she was perfect.

“M-me?” Kara stammered, trying to figure out what the woman might want.

The woman stepped in. Close. Really close. Close enough that Kara felt the heat of every syllable that came out of her mouth next.

“I need you to help me make someone jealous,” she said intently. “Got twenty minutes? I’ll pay the tab on your table and owe you forever!”

Holy cow. Was she serious?

“Who?” Kara stammered, her eyes searching the bar. “Who do you want to make jealous?”

The brunette shook her head. “Nuh-uh. If I point her out to you, she’ll know what this is about and it won’t work. It just has to look spontaneous—starting now. We just have to act like we’re totally hitting it off with maybe some arm touches here and there. Nothing too personal. You game?”

Kara looked back at her table, where Winn was on his phone, Alex was whispering with her date and Lena was engulfed under James’s protective arm.

No one was missing her and a twenty-minute break honestly couldn’t have come at a better time.

“Sure,” Kara agreed with a gaming smile.

The other woman grinned from ear-to-ear. “Thank you! You’re saving my day.”

The words made Kara smile a bit wider. She’d heard those words before. She just usually didn’t hear them while she was wearing her glasses.

The brunette held up a finger. “Can I ask for one adjustment?”

Kara wasn’t sure what she meant. “Adjustment?”

“Lose the sweater?” the woman asked. “I’m sensing you have a bit of a bod under there. And nothing spikes jealousy faster than someone showing off.” She followed up the suggestion with a sly wink. “Your call, of course. Aren’t you burning up in here anyway?”

Yes. She was. But Kara always felt more incognito in her dual identity under a few layers of clothes.

And yet … the idea of someone finding her hot just then didn’t sound so bad either.

“Sure,” Kara agreed, sliding out of the thick cardigan. She’d only worn a tank underneath it because, yes, she did get hot.

“Dear Lord,” the brunette gushed. “Girl, your _arms_!”

Kara felt her cheeks grow pink.

“Are you a fitness model?” the woman asked. “Because I would definitely follow your workouts on Instagram.”

“I … don’t do social media,” Kara stammered, knowing her cheeks were going full red. “But thanks. I … do work out a lot.”

“Obviously,” the brunette flirted, leaning in. “And I thank you for it. Because it makes getting cozy and a little eye-fucky right now totally believable. Which is awesome, because my girl is looking our way. So just roll with me and pretend I’m being really smooth and that you’re totally into me right now.”

Kara couldn’t help but smile, biting her lip as she eyed the stranger and debated just how much she wanted to play along. “Okay. But only if you tell me about this girl I’m helping you bait right now.”

The brunette smiled. “Oh, she’s amazing. There’s no one like her in the world but she constantly sells herself short in personal relationships. She’s with someone right now who totally treats her like a trophy. And I guess I just want to give her a little peek of how things could _maybe_ be a little different if she dreamed a little bigger.”

Huh. Interesting. That sounded like someone Kara knew—not that Kara was thinking about Lena right then. She was too busy trying not to blush at how the woman across from her kept letting her gaze focus on Kara’s lips.

Ploy or not, the woman knew how to lay on the charm.

“I’m Kara, by the way,” she blurted, needing to break up the intense looks with some conversation.

“Nila,” the woman replied, her eyes looking like a sea of secrets as she gazed into Kara’s eyes. “Come here often?”

Kara couldn’t help but laugh at the line. “Actually, yes. You?”

Nila shook her head. “First time. But I’m liking it so far.” She glanced over at the guy starting his version of _Welcome to the Jungle_ on the karaoke stage. “Do you sing?”

Kara felt herself grow bashful. “Uh. yeah. There’s one more song after this, then I’m up.”

“Yeah?” Nila beamed. “What are you singing?”

“Blondie,” Kara said. “ _One Way or Another._ ”

Nila pulled a face like she disapproved.

“What? You don’t like it?” Kara asked.

“I mean … it’s fine. But it’s not going to get my girl jealous that I’m sitting across from you.”

“Rude!” Kara teased even though she knew the woman was right.

“Is it too late to pick another one?” Nila flirted.

Kara laughed until she realized Nila wasn’t kidding. “Wait. You’re serious?”

Nila nodded. “Totally. Do you know an actual song?”

Well, that was just offensive. “I know _every_ song,” Kara declared. “Top 40, Broadway, classics … if it’s in that book over there, I know it.”

Nila pressed her lips into a skeptical pucker. “That sounds like a challenge waiting to happen.”

Kara leaned in. “A challenge I’ll win.”

Nila leaned in, too, a competitive smile curving her lips. “How about I pick a new song and if you sing it all the way through, the next round of drinks are on me.”

“They already _are_ on you,” Kara pointed out.

Nila shook her head. “I offered to get your table’s drinks. Not drinks at the bar.”

Hmm. Sneaky. But it didn’t matter either way. Kara would win the challenge, no problem.

“You’re on,” she said, leveling a competitive stare on Nila as she left her seat to go look through the book—turning page after laminated page until she saw a song on the back few pages that caught her eye.

Kara watched as Nila scratched out Kara’s choice and wrote in something else. Then she sauntered back to her seat, flirting with her gaze the entire way.

Damn. When it came to flirting, Nila _really_ knew what she was doing. Part of Kara couldn’t fathom that the woman needing anyone’s help making anyone jealous enough to make a move.

But this flirting game was fun and free drinks were awesome so Kara kept going with it.

“You’re not going to know the song,” Nila said with confidence.

“Oh, I will,” Kara replied in the same tone.

“Pride cometh before the fall,” Nila countered.

“Confidence comes before the victory,” Kara volleyed back. And when Nila laughed, it seemed honest.

“I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“Well, get ready to believe!”

Nila smiled, giving Kara a slow look up and down that made her feel a little self-conscious.

“I have to say,” Nila purred. “It’s gotten a lot hotter in here since you took off your sweater. You are really easy on the eyes, Kara.”

Kara blushed at the attention, feeling flustered as she reached for something else to talk about.

“Do _you_ sing?” Kara asked over the man trying to be Axl Rose on stage.

Nila shook her head. “Not a note. But I like to listen … especially when it’s a hot girl singing. I could listen to that all day.”

Kara blushed a little more. “You’re relentless.”

“Only when I mean it,” Nila flirted back and for a second Kara just let herself stare into a pair of beautiful eyes that were fearlessly looking back.

No ducking. No hiding. No excuses. No lying.

Just drinking Kara in without apology.

It felt nice … even if the eyes looking her way weren’t the ones she would choose. It still felt nice to know she was catching someone’s eye.

And as Nila dialed back the intensity and slipped into more casual conversation through the end of the song, something about the woman started to feel familiar … like they’d talked like this before somewhere.

Even though they definitely hadn’t.

Kara would totally remember a woman like this the second time around. She’d never told anyone before, but Kara kind of had a thing for girls in leather. It was for the best to keep that secret going, but that didn’t mean Kara couldn’t enjoy the view while fake-flirting with a woman that made flirting all too easy.

This little favor was actually turning out to be fun.

When the next singer got up to sing _Defying Gravity_ from Wicked, Kara smiled at the choice. She loved a good Broadway song. People always looked at her funny when she chose one, but they were secretly her favorite.

Even when performed with more heart than skill, like now. Not everyone was good enough to charge admission for a performance. That’s what karaoke was all about.

Across from her, Nila pulled out a flask and discreetly showed it to Kara. “I’ve got the good stuff here. How about some liquid courage for your trip on stage?”

Outside alcohol was a no-no at the bar, but it wasn’t like Nila wasn’t dropping cash, too. Maybe they just didn’t stock her favorite … and it wasn’t like whatever was in that flask would do anything to Kara.

So Kara said nothing as the woman raised the flask in a toast.

“To hot chicks and karaoke.” Then she took a swig while keeping her eyes on Kara.

Kara laughed, ducking her head and biting her lip as a certain hot chick came to mind before looking back up and accepting the flask as Nila handed it across.

“To hot chicks and karaoke,” Kara repeated. Then she took a swig.

To her surprise, she felt liquid heat slide down her throat—sizzling everywhere it touched before pooling warmly in her belly.

She took another swig before looking at the flask.

Across from her, Nila laughed as she took it back. “I think that’s enough for now. You can have more _after_ your song. I don’t want you saying I cheated and made you screw up by getting you wasted before you got up there.”

As if. Nothing any human drank could touch Kara—not even poison. But she played along.

“Fair enough,” she said, before pushing up her sleeves only to discover she had none. She’d taken her sweater off. It was just her and tank top now.

Weird.

When had that happened?

Smiling for no reason whatsoever, Kara looked back at Nila. “You’re super hot, you know.”

Whoa. Kara hadn’t meant to say that. But … she didn’t feel bad about it either.

“I’m not hitting on you,” she clarified, sensing that she was only putting her foot in her mouth deeper but not caring. At this point, she was just saying whatever came to mind while feeling really good about it. “I just like looking at you ... and you’re a really good conversationalist. I can’t imagine anyone here isn’t into you.” Kara looked around the bar. It wasn’t _that_ full. There were maybe forty people. “Where’s this chick you’re interested in? With some dude?”

Nila nodded. “For the moment. But he loves the nearest mirror more than he loves her so I don’t feel bad showing her how things could be if she gave the ladies another try.”

Kara popped an eyebrow up, intrigued. “ _Another_ try? She’s dated girls before?”

Nila nodded, a sly smirk rising in her eye. “Oh, yeah. She’s dated more women than men—just never in the open. But ever since she started focusing on work, dating men is just more fluid. She doesn’t like personal drama influencing business so she sticks to relationships she can control.”

“Huh. I guess I could see how that’s smart,” Kara decided, her mind wandering back to Lena again.

Had she ever dated a woman?

“Smart, yes,” Nila agreed, clearly fighting the urge to look at the woman she was talking about. “But she deserves better. A _lot_ better.”

Kara raised another brow. “She deserves … you?”

Nila smirked back at Kara as if the answer was obvious.

Kara laughed. “You seem confident.”

“Oh, I am,” Nila said with a glint just as the current song neared its end. “And we’re about to move into the power play. Are you ready?”

Kara gave her a little salute. “Ready, Coach! What’s the play?”

Nila laughed like she was having fun, too. “Okay. I want you to go up there and sing the song I picked like _you_ picked it for me—not the other way around. It’ll drive my girl crazy. Then skip your table when you’re done and come straight back to the seat you’re sitting in now and talk to me like you like me. My girl will bust a move within two minutes and we’ll be done. Think you can do that?”

Kara leaned forward and rested her face in her hands. “In. My. Sleep.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Kara replied, feeling a little nostalgic. “Little-known fact: I wanted to be an actor when I was a teen.”

“Is that so?” Nila said, looking genuinely intrigued. “Then show me your chops, girl, and serenade the hell out of me.”

Holy cow, did Nila know how to put some sizzle in a look while making bossy instructions sound sexy. Kara felt her mouth fall open as she tried to drum up a response to a question she’d already forgotten.

“My girl is looking our way again,” Nila said, her hand sliding over Kara’s as the singer on the stage belted final note of the song. “Gotta give her something to see.”

“Of course,” Kara said, nearly choking on the smoky look she would normally shy away from. She felt amazingly calm, given the circumstances. Part of her wondered if whatever was in the flask was actually impacting her, but that wasn’t possible.

Apparently, Nila was just that smooth.

“Are you ready for your solo?” Nila purred. “I’m looking forward to it.”

Kara sent her a goofy smile—not on purpose. It was just how it came out. “Are you going to tell me what it is?”

Nila shook her head. “Nuh-uh. We’ll find out if you know it when it cues up. It’s time to see if you can live up to your own bragging.”

“Oh, I’ll make you a believer!” Kara promised just as her name was called. “Just watch.”

“Break a leg,” Nila said, gesturing toward the stage.

And Kara went—swearing she felt Lena’s eyes on her as she walked up to the stage and claimed the mic for her song. But when she looked over to catch her best friend’s eye, James was whispering into Lena’s ear and Lena was looking his way.

Gut twisting and heart cramping a bit, Kara looked away and focused on what was important.

Winning.

She had a bet with a hot chick in leather and she getting to the point where she had to admit those two swigs from the woman’s flask had calmed her nerves considerably.

When she wasn’t looking at Lames, she was in the perfect mood for karaoke.

_Lames?_

Kara laughed at her own joke—immediately liking the nickname.

Across the way and reclining against the bar, Nila watched her like a woman ready to be serenaded. And if it was Kara’s job to make some chick jealous enough to make a move, then Kara was all about singing the shit out of some karaoke.

All she needed was to know what song was being served up.

Hopefully, it was a goo—

Kara smiled as soon as the first two notes played.

She knew _exactly_ what song Nila had picked.

Kara freakin’ _loved_ this song! Not only was it one of her favorite little-known Andrew Lloyd Webber gems, but the minus track was the Tina Arena version.

 _Yas!_ she cheered in silence before smirking Nila’s way.

Not that Kara had told anyone, but back when she was a teen Kara had gone through a phase where she imagined this exact song to be the first dance at her wedding—not that Kara was ever going to get married.

Supergirl couldn’t put anyone else in that position.

So marriage might not be happening but Kara would happily sing the fuck out of the song for a good cause.

Holding the mic up to her mouth with one hand as the intro played, Kara pointed at Nila and said, “You’re _so_ going down.”

Nila laughed from the bar while Kara noticed from confused looks from her table at the call out. They didn’t know what Kara was talking about, but it didn’t matter. She’d fill them in later.

Right then, she had a song to sing.

 _“Whistle down the wind,”_ she sang as the intro finished, holding eye contact with Nila as she let herself fall into the song. She didn’t have to look at the lyrics on the screen. She knew them by heart.

_“Let your voices carry._

_Drown out all the rain._

_Light a patch of darkness—_

_treacherous and scary._ _”_

 

Nila smiled and signaled Al at the bar, as if conceding that Kara was killing it and would win her shots.

Feeling even more confident, Kara kept singing.

 

_“Howl at the stars_

_Whisper when you’re sleeping_

_I’ll be there to hold you_

_I’ll be there to stop_

_the chills and all the weeping._ _”_

 

For the next part, Kara forgot she was on stage at all. She went back to her teenage years when she first fell in love with the song and let herself fall all over again.

 

_“Make it clear and strong_

_so the whole night long_

_every signal that you send,_

_until the very end,_

_I will not abandon you,_

_my precious friend._ _”_

Kara opened her eyes and could tell Lena was definitely looking at her but forced herself to look at Nila instead.

 

_“So try and stand the tide._

_Then you'_ _ll raise a banner._

_Send a flare up in the sky_

_try to burn a torch_

_and try to build a bonfire._ _”_

 

Kara didn’t mean to but the intensity of a particular gaze from her table felt like it was burning into her and she couldn’t help but look back as she kicked into the heart of the song.

And, Rao, if the beautiful eyes of her best friend looking back didn’t make the next lyrics come easily.

 

_“Make it clear and strong_

_so the whole night long_

_every signal that you send_

_until the very end_

_I will not abandon you_

_my precious friend._ _”_

Then James’s arm gave Lena a little side-squeeze and Kara saw him press a kiss to her temple. The simple gesture hit Kara like a meteor to the chest and just like that she remembered she was supposed to be looking at Nila.

So she did. For the rest of the song.

And when the last note was finished, Kara took her bow to a surprising amount of applause before heading back to Nila, as promised, to collect on their bet.

Alex tried to snag her as she passed their table, but Kara signaled she’d be back soon before forcing herself not to look at Lena’s expression as she clapped.

Better to just escape back to Nila at the bar.

“I win!” Kara announced as she approached her seat and Nila moved to show that the shots were already set up.

Six of them.

“Three for me, three for you,” Nila said. “Because that was fucking amazing.”

Kara waved the compliment off. “Joke’s on you. I love that song.”

Nila smiled like she already knew that and raised the first shot glass. “Three shots in three seconds?”

Puh-lease! That was child’s play.

Kara raised a shot glass in return. “You’re on!”

Three seconds later, the room was spinning a little.

Damn, this stuff landed fast!

Kara needed to ask Al what the hell he’d just poured.

Because … whoa. She was feeling it.

Definitely feeling it!

“You fucking slayed up there,” she heard Nila say. “I didn’t know you could sing like _that._ ”

Kara giggled. “Well, I have all sorts of secrets no one would guess.”

Nila looked her up and down, seeming to like the view. “Is that so?”

Kara nodded her head. And, when it felt good, she kept on nodding. “Yep.”

“Well, I’ll let you keep the rest of your secrets,” Nila said before her eyes moved to look just over Kara’s shoulder. “Fyi, it looks like one of your friends is headed over.”

Kara felt her heart clench with a tipsy hope that it was someone in particular. “Which one?”

Nila shrugged. “Well, you haven't mentioned their names, but definitely the hottest one.”

Lena.

Lena was headed over and Kara’s world was spinning from three shots that were still setting in.

Shit.

Nila’s hand slid over hers. “You going to be okay?”

Uh … “Maybe?”

Right then, Kara felt Lena move into her personal space like a sunbeam peeking through the clouds on an overcast day as Lena moved to the bar and signaled Al.

Oh. She hadn’t crossed the bar to check on Kara? Or say she liked the song? Or Kara’s voice? Or to say she wanted to sit by her? Or that she missed their brunches?

She'd crossed the bar to talk to Al?

Suddenly, Kara just wanted to go home and be done for the night.

Tonight sucked.

“Excuse me,” she heard Lena say. “Can I close out the tab on table four?”

Nila gave a little wave to get Lena’s attention. “It’s already covered.”

Lena’s eyes were all frosty chill as she regarded the other woman. “Excuse me?”

“I already covered it,” Nila said like it was totally normal. “It’s the least I could do for letting me steal Kara away from you.”

Kara could have sworn the temperature in the room dropped ten degrees in a snap. Suddenly, she was missing her sweater a bit. But rather than reaching for it, Kara spun on her stool to face Lena instead and announced, “I won a bet!”

If Lena was happy for her, it didn’t show. She looked pissed. “I was going to pay.”

That got a drunk laugh out of Kara. “It’s your first time here. You don’t get to pay!”

“And isn’t that your boyfriend over there?” Nila added, lips pursed a little judgmentally. “You’ve got you a man who makes you pay?”

“I’m happy to,” Lena said with pure chill.

Nila smirked in reply. “And he’s happy to let you. Sounds like a good relationship, sugar.”

Lena could have cut glass with the glare she sent Nila next and Kara couldn’t quite remember the last time she’d seen Lena level a look like that at another woman.

And it took a second longer to realize how completely turned on she was looking at it.

God, her best friend was hot. So fucking hot.

Kara could stare at her neck all day. And her collarbones. And her—shit!

Suddenly, Kara was turned on. _Really_ turned on with no level head to tame what she did about it.

This might be a problem.

She closed her eyes—trying to remember what in the world they were talking about—but she could still smell Lena’s perfume and hear the kicking anger of her heart as it hammered against Lena’s ribcage. The rhythm sounded like a protective beat that made Kara want to snuggle into her friend and tell her there was nothing to get worked up about.

Nila was into someone else. Nila was leaving.

But Lena could stay. Lena could _always_ stay. Anytime.

Especially if she stayed all pissy like she was right then. Pissed off Lena was hot in a way that made Kara wish everything else disappear.

She was pretty sure Lena and Nila were still talking, but her brain heard none of it as she daydreamed.

It seemed like things might be escalating but all Kara could do was watch the rise and fall of Lena’s chest as she breathed faster and faster. The rhythm fueled her fantasies until all she could do was stare at her Irish spitfire.

Rao, she wanted to touch her—to reach out and slide their hands together and let Lena know that there was no reason to argue with Nila.

None.

They were just having fun.

But she couldn’t touch her … not like that. Because then Lena would know … she’d know how much Kara meant it and she would pull away. Because she loved James.

Lena loved James

Rao, remembering that hurt. So much.

So, so much.

Kara was pressing the heel of her hand into the spot over her heart—trying to make the pain fade a bit when a hand closed over hers. Lena’s hand.

Stunned into a freeze, Kara’s hearing turned back on.

“—you’ve got her drunk, but my friend isn’t into women so I would suggest—”

“Yes, I am,” Kara said over Lena, unable to let the lie stand.

Lena expression couldn’t have been more shocked if Kara slapped her. So Kara repeated herself.

“I’ve always loved women,” Kara said, looking deeply into Lena’s eyes so she knew she meant it. Then she thought of all the kisses she’d wished for while looking into those eyes and her gaze dipped down to Lena’s painted lips and pined for a beat before she heard herself add, “What’s not to love?”

Lena’s lips parted in shock and all Kara could do was listen to the wall of sound generated by Lena’s pounding heart as Nila spoke somewhere out of sight.

“See? Bisexual as fuck.”

Kara would have been mad at Nila for outing her if she hadn’t been sitting there like the poster child of obvious. If anything, she should be upset at herself for looking at her best friend like she was.

If anyone was being rude, it was Kara.

Lena was happy.

Lena was in love.

And Kara was the one staring at her lips like a homing beacon. Friends didn’t do that to friends.

She should go. And hide—maybe for the rest of her life. Because she was _still_ staring—unable to look away—and Lena was definitely starting to look flustered.

Kara should leave.

Maybe Nila would walk her out and get her in a cab. Kara definitely wasn’t fit to fly at the moment.

Reaching out Nila’s way, Kara gripped on to the first thing her hand landed on, which turned out to be Nila’s thigh. The woman didn’t seem to mind.

Kara gave the leg a squeeze. “Feel like getting me out of here?”

It was the best Kara could do when it came to staying in character while still sending the signal that she was ready to go separate ways.

The look Nila sent back let Kara know Nila was still game to keep playing … and having fun with it. “You can come with me any day, Kara.”

Oh, man! Whoa!

Nila really knew how to land a line with just enough flavor to be both dirty and innocent at the same time. Kara wished she could flirt like that!

Maybe if she hung around with Nila a little longer, she’d learn.

Maybe they could be friends.

Kara was still contemplating the possibilities when she felt Lena’s hand rest on her shoulder and froze on instinct at the contact. The alternative was to follow her instincts and nuzzle in like a cat rubbing in its claim.

“I’m sorry, but my friend is drunk,” Kara heard Lena say in a crisp tone. “I don’t let my drunk friends go home with strangers. She’s not leaving with you tonight. Not like this.”

Nila laughed. “What? Are you her mom?”

“No,” Lena replied in a tone that hit Kara right between the legs.

God, it was hot when Lena was bossy.

So hot.

When Lena talked like that, Kara forgot how to breathe. All she really knew in that moment was that she had her hand on the wrong thigh.

Well, that and the fact that she really wanted to rest her head on something and Lena’s chest was eye-level.

What a great spot.

The shots were just hitting her and she needed to rest her head for a moment. A light cushion of breasts with a gap in the middle for her nose to breathe sounded perfect.

And if her hands _happened_ to grip Lena’s ass somewhere along the way, it would just be to keep her balance on the chair. Sitting could be hard when you were drunk. Sometimes you just needed to face-plant into your friend’s boobs while holding on like a baby koala.

Because … awesome.

“Kara,” Lena’s voice said with a hint of warning.

Only then did Kara remember her friend had eyes and looked up to meet them. “Yeah?”

Lena looked a little flustered, like she was choosing her words carefully, before she cleared her throat and said, “You were staring at my breasts.”

Kara smiled like a goof at being caught. “I know!”

Then she started laughing, which seemed to fluster Lena even more. So Kara decided to let her in on the joke.

“I literally look at them _all_ the time and you never notice,” Kara confessed. “But I can’t help it, you know? You always look _so_ good.”

Kara took a moment to look her friend up and down with blatant appreciation before adding, “So fucking good.”

Man. Guys were so lucky. And Kara wasn’t a guy so she needed to get away from her friend before she did something stupid.

Like … _really_ stupid.

Tearing her eyes away from where they wanted to be, Kara did her best to focus on Nila. “Cab?”

“No!” Lena insisted in a tone that shot Kara right between her legs.

“Shhh,” Kara said, doing her best to press a hushing finger to Lena’s lips. “You’re not helping.” Then she turned back to Nila. “Please? Get me out of here? I don’t know what was in those shots but I am _stupid_ horny right now and need to not be in public.”

Nila rested her hand over Kara’s on her thigh. “I think we can get you taken care of.”

“And. I. Said. No!” Lena roared pulling Kara’s hand away while Kara bit her lip and fought the urge to tangle her fingers between Lena’s and hold on.

Rao. Territorial Lena was so hot.

“I’ll get Kara home,” Lena said with an intensity that somehow soothed Kara like a purr. “And I won’t be leaving her there with any strangers.”

Nila looked at Kara, unfazed. “We should probably trade numbers.”

Kara laughed, loving how fearless this stranger faced off with Lena, while secretly loving Lena’s increasingly territorial response even more.

But just because she loved it, didn’t mean she could have it. And the realization had Kara sobering up for a few beats as she looked at her best friend.

“It’s okay, Lena,” she said, pretty sure she wasn’t slurring. “Nila will take care of me.”

Lena’s face went slack as if the words had slapped her, making Kara panic that maybe the words had come out wrong. So she kept talking.

“I want to break, like, a hundred friend-rules right now. So I can’t be here, okay? I need to go home, pass out, and pray I’m the level of drunk that forgets everything by morning. And Nila can get me there. So tell everyone I say bye. And tell James he’s a lucky guy because I’m going to go now, okay?”

Something flashed in Lena’s eyes … something Kara had never seen before but something she definitely wanted to see again. And again. And again.

 _“Annnnd kiss,”_ a voice whispered in the back on her head.

Kara wasn’t sure if she thought the words or heard them, only that sounded like the best idea ever. And with Lena staring at her lips like she wanted it too, there really was only one thing to do.

“Yo! James!” Kara called out toward their table. “I’m about to kiss your girlfriend. Better get over here and stop me!”

And Kara could have sworn she saw Lena smile before pulling Kara in and kissing her first.

The smile happened so fast Kara couldn’t be sure she actually saw it.

But the kiss? That was definitely happening and Lena had definitely kissed her first.

As Kara leaned into its possessive claim, everything that sucked in the world faded away and what was left was a level of happiness Kara had almost forgotten existed as she memorized the feel of Lena’s mouth while listening to the super-hot soundtrack of Lena’s racing heart and staccato breath.

“My work here is done,” Kara heard Nila say a split second before James pulled Lena away and forced himself between them.

Feeling cool air where a warm body should be, Kara opened her eyes and leveled her gaze on James.

“What the fuck, Kara?” he seethed, looking betrayed. And rightly so. Kara wanted those lips back and she’d go through her cousin’s best friend to get them.

And it was time to let him know.

“I’m in love with your girlfriend, James,” she replied before sending Lena a look to let her know she meant it. “She’s got me whenever she wants me. That’s where things are now. So …” —she gestured between them— “discuss. I’ll see myself out.”

And she did. Kara walked right out of the bar … basking in the tipsy glow of confession while intending to catch a cab home and give her friends time to talk through the sea of awkward she’d just forced onto them.

She never imagined Lena would catch up to her before she reached the sidewalk, call her own driver, and pull Kara into the backseat of her town car.

Nope. Kara couldn’t have predicted her night would end that way at all.

All she could do was lean in, hold on, and kiss back when it did.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want to hear Nila's karaoke choice for Kara?
> 
> Here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_FRO4fCwX0


	5. The Hot Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Kara shows up to her sister's award banquet, she has every intention of being a supportive sister.
> 
> But things don't always go to plan.

Kara was late to the dinner celebrating her sister, Alex: The Hero of National City. And her tardiness was not an accident.

She’d be leaving early, too. And she’d hired backup to make sure of it. But making a showing at tonight’s dinner was obligatory. Every news outlet in the city was covering the event, and neither sister wanted to field questions as to why the hero’s immediate family was conspicuously absent from festivities.

So Kara was showing up even though both she and Alex had long since been on the same page when it came to not spending more time in the same space than required.

As far as everyone else was concerned, the two adopted sisters were just busy professionals kept apart by the fact that they lived in separate cities—Alex in National City, Kara in Metropolis.

But work and distance couldn’t be excuses tonight.

Alex had the night off and Kara was in the wrong city to race into work. So Kara needed another reason to cut out early. And what better excuse was there than a handsy hot date?

If he’d ever show up.

Kara had told the agency to have him here by 6:45, and it was officially—

“Kara Danvers?” a woman’s voice asked from Kara’s blindside.

Surprised someone had been able to sneak up on her, Kara turned and spotted one of the most exotically beautiful women she’d ever seen in her life.

Some might say she was actually hotter than Lena Luthor.

Some might not.

“Yes,” Kara said cautiously.

The beauty sent her a little wave. “I’m your date for the night.”

Kara’s jaw fell open in surprise as she gave the woman yet another look—this time a full up-and-down. Body like an hourglass and cleavage that … yeah … wow, um, somehow stayed perky despite the nonexistent support from the dress she was wearing.

All someone would have to do was slide the two straps on her shoulder off and that thing would pool around red-carpet heels. Her absurdly perfect face was framed by hair that could be in a commercial, and her lips _had_ to have been worked on. But her eyes?

Unreal.

They were more a color one would see in space than on earth.

And Kara would know.

“You’re … a girl,” was all Kara could manage in reply.

The woman shrugged as if it couldn’t be helped. “You asked for the ‘hottest’ available agent. I’m the hottest.”

Oh. Well … hot _and_ humble.

This might make things more interesting.

“Sorry if you were expecting a dick to show up,” her date continued. “But if you don’t want a woman, maybe don’t check the ‘Bisexual’ box next time.”

Had she?

Kara didn’t remember doing that. She’d been a little distracted when she’d made the request.

“It’s fine,” Kara said, deciding it was too late to do anything about it. And she was bi. And everyone else at the table would be female, so why put a guy through navigating all that nuance?

All in all, a female date might even be preferable.

“It’s fine,” Kara repeated. “And you look amazing. Unreal, really. Are you up for being handsy?”

The wicked smile that curved the woman’s lips answered before her words did. “Only in public.”

“Good,” Kara said, straightening her tie and belatedly realizing she hadn’t really dressed to catch a guy’s eye that night anyway. She’d told herself she’d dressed like someone who hadn’t had the time to dress up but, next to her date, she looked like a stud who dialed things down to let her date shine.

Perfect.

In a way, Kara couldn’t have planned it better if she tried. Maybe the universe didn’t totally hate her.

“You look nervous,” her date said, brushing a little lint off Kara’s suit jacket.

“Nah,” Kara lied. “Just want to get out of here. You saw the part where you get a bonus if we’re out before the entrees come?”

“Yep,” she said with a nod. “Already ate. My blood sugar is battle-ready.”

For some reason that got a smile out of Kara, which was a surprise. It had been a while since she had smiled and meant it.

“I’m Nila, by the way,” the woman said, holding her hand out for a businesslike shake.

“Nila?” Kara repeated, testing the name on her tongue and she shook the hand. “I have a coworker named Nia.”

A perfect brow arched, reminding Kara of someone else. “Yeah? I assume she’s awesome.”

“Pretty much,” Kara agreed before taking a breath and getting her game face on. “Okay, so you know the deal? My sister is the one you’ve seen in the news all day. She got the award for saving the city from an alien attack—”

“Even though we _all_ know it was L-Corp technology that saved the day,” Nila interrupted.

That got another smile out of Kara. “Yeah.” It was nice to have a date who knew that.

“When we go in there, we’ll be seated at Alex’s table,” Kara continued. “We’ll congratulate her and do all that stuff but no matter how she acts, know she doesn’t want me there and I don’t want to be there.”

Nila pulled a face. “Sounds like there’s some history there. You didn’t put any of this in your request.”

Kara shook her head—still having no interest in getting into it. “I didn’t put it in because it doesn’t matter. Making an appearance and getting out quickly does.”

Nila shrugged. “Works for me. Shall we get this show on the road?”

“Let’s,” Kara said, offering the woman her arm while taking note that the agency really _had_ sent the hottest option.

Nila was stunning.

“And, remember,” the woman seemed to warn. “You asked for handsy.”

“Bring it,” Kara said, taking one more bracing breath as she walked them up to the hostess station. “Alex Danvers’ table, please. I’m Kara Danvers, her sister, and this is my date.”

The hostess checked the list and nodded. “Right this way, ladies.”

The eyes that glanced up when they walked in did not look away. For a moment, Kara almost worried her Supergirl costume was showing. Because people always looked at Supergirl like they were now. Not Kara.

Then she realized they were all looking at Nila—men and women looking the woman up and down like it might be time to trade in their current partner for a newer model.

Gross.

But whatever.

Kara had other things to worry about at the moment. Namely, schooling her expressions in all that was about to come. And the best way to do that was to lean into what her date was bringing to the table.

“Do people look at you like this all the time?” she whispered Nila’s way. “I feel like I’m on a runway right now.”

Nila shrugged. “You get used to it.” Then she looked up at Kara and a wicked spark glinted in her eye. “Then you _use_ it.”

Kara couldn’t help how she smiled in response. This woman just had a way of squeaking grins out of her.

It felt good.

“Your table, ladies,” the hostess said, stopping in front of them and gesturing at the two empty seats at a table set for four, with salads already served.

Four seats?

Wasn’t this a banquet? Kara had been expecting eight at their table. Minimum. But it was just going to be her, Nila, Alex … and Lena?

Shit.

Just shit.

“Thank you,” Kara managed before offering one of her fake smiles to her sister and her wife.

Next to her, Nila froze as if she was as shocked at the seating situation as Kara was.

Across the table, Alex offered Kara one of her more proper smiles while Lena seemed to be eyeing Nila’s dress as if making notes for her tailor.

“You two?” Nila gasped, sounding honestly put out as Kara pulled out Nila’s chair for her to sit down. She seemed to sit in reflex while gawking at the two Mrs. Luthor-Danvers across the way as if she’d somehow missed that celebrity wedding.

As Kara sat next to her, she sent Nila a warning look to dial back on tone but the woman seemed to be taken aback in a way that had nothing to do with Kara.

Then Nila’s beautiful face brightened and she looked happy again. “Oh, I get it! You’re sitting together because Lena made all the tech you got credit for using to fight off the attack. And now you’re sharing the spotlight with her!”

The slight increase of tension in Lena’s jaw told Kara Nila might have definitely just scratched a sore spot.

How much credit L-Corp should get was likely a point of tension between the couple.

Kara glanced her sister’s way next—catching the scowl between her Alex’s brows and knowing what tone followed it.

Kara stepped in. “Nila, this is my sister, Alex, and her _wife_ , Lena. Alex and Lena, this is Nila.”

Alex tried for a smile in greeting.

Lena did not.

But it was Nila who blasted their efforts at civility to kingdom come.

“Married?” she said as if choking on the word before pulling a face like she smelled something wrong.

“Yes,” Alex replied, sending Kara a warning look to control her date.

Nila looked over at Lena for confirmation. “Married.”

Lena nodded, her focus terrifying and sharp as she glared. But if Nila was intimidated by the billionaire, it didn’t show. At all.

“I’m sorry,” Nila said, looking like she’d just chosen _spit_ over _swallow_. “Did y’all want some soup with your salad? Because I’m about to puke right now.”

Alex’s mouth dropped open in shock, Lena pulled an ick-face, and Kara honestly didn’t know what her face was doing. She was too taken off guard to respond and still mute with shock when Nila turned her way, eyes filled with what looked like honest apology as she whispered. “I’m suddenly regretting that battle-ready burrito.”

It was such a bizarre thing to say in that moment that Kara actually laughed.

And immediately regretted it.

Alex was immediately up in arms. “Do you have a problem with same-sex marriage?”

“God, no! Sign me up!” Nila said before leveling a pointed look between Alex and Lena. “With some exceptions.”

Whoa.

Kara eyed the nearest exit on instinct.

Kara hated Alex and Lena’s marriage with the fire of a thousand burning suns, but even she wasn’t that harsh in her more honest moments. And there had been a few.

Okay, there had been more than a few.

After the worst of them, Kara had moved to Metropolis. It hadn’t solved the root problem but it had made it so Kara didn’t have to deal with it every day.

From the first moment Kara meant Lena Luthor, she’d told herself she needed to do anything that kept the woman safe—up to, and including, keeping space between them. Years later, Alex and Lena had bonded while working together and ended up in bed before either even thought about a date.

When Kara found out, the news hit her like a lava-hot poker inserted straight into her heart. Then she’d taken a few breaths and given herself a few pep talks and hoped it would end up just being a fling before both of them moved on.

But it hadn’t been.

A year later, they’d gotten engaged.

En-fucking-gaged.

It was only then that Kara told her sister about her feelings.

Things had gone downhill from there and never really stopped tumbling. And Kara was so lost in the sudden memory of it all that she forgot about Nila—and even the banquet happening all around them—until the woman spoke again.

“I’m sorry, but I’ve got to ask,” she said, gesturing between Alex and Lena. “How? Just … how?” She seemed to pull a notepad and out of nowhere. “How did _this_ happen?”

Jaw set, eyes dark, Alex leaned forward and spoke to Nila through her teeth. “Keep your ‘sorries’. You are being very offensive and you know it.”

Nila nodded as if conceding the point. “Perhaps.” Then she was right back to full form. “But talk about a blindside. You two are _so_ incompatible—like mind-blowingly so. And that’s kind of my wheelhouse. So excuse me for a moment while I process all the construction cones the two of you must have run over to end up together.”

Kara knew her mouth was hanging open. She could feel it. Just like she could feel the steam rising from Alex’s face and the smothered laugh hiding behind Lena’s otherwise unreadable eyes.

Was part of Lena liking this?

Kara didn’t have time to find out before Nila was plowing forward. “For example, what happened to Maggie? And Sam? She came with an insta-kid. How did _that_ relationship not happen?”

All smiles immediately disappeared. Kara—who was watching Lena … because of course she was—saw anger spark like flint in her former best friend’s eyes.

“This conversation is over!” Alex hissed before looking at Kara. “Control your date or get her out of here. We are _not_ doing this tonight.”

This time, it was Lena who leaned forward. “What do you mean, doing this? Doing what?”

For the first time since arriving at the table, the two sisters shared a look of comradery. No matter what differences they had between them, there was still one secret that they both wanted to keep.

“Nothing,” Alex bit out.

Kara nodded. “Nothing.”

To Kara’s horror, Lena didn’t seem impressed their answers and turned to Nila. “Nothing?”

Nila shrugged, appearing deceptively indifferent. “If they say so, I guess. But, tell me, how in the world did you end up choosing Alex over Kara?”

Kara felt her heart drop into her stomach and sent Alex a look that it was time to leave.

Alex couldn’t have looked like she agreed more.

“Nila—” Kara started, only to be cut off from a sharp look from Lena that made her forget how to speak for a moment. Hell, she wasn’t even sure she could breathe as their eyes locked with neither of them blinking.

It was a good thing Kara was sitting, otherwise, she might have wobbled a bit as that single look struck her dumb.

“What do you mean?” Lena asked. “Choose? I didn’t choose. Kara left.”

“After you got engaged to her sister, I’m assuming,” Nila replied.

Lena’s eyes narrowed in thought. “Yes. She followed Supergirl there.”

Alex looked to be on the verge of calling security when Nila visibly deflated next to Kara and seemed to give up her fight. “Seriously? That’s how dumb we’re playing it around here?”

Kara’s heart jumped from her stomach to her throat at the comment. The undertone was obvious in its innuendo.

But how?

Nila couldn’t know she was Supergirl. No way. They’d just met.

She must be referring to something else, but Kara was quick to discover that wasn’t necessarily a relief. “Maybe we should just go.”

Alex looked her way with wrath in her eyes. “Sounds like a great idea.”

“Wait,” Lena said, holding up her hand with the cool authority that always had Kara leaning in for whatever came next. But Lena was looking at Nila. “If Kara didn’t go to Metropolis for Supergirl, why did she go?”

“Uh, I dunno,” Nila said with no small amount of sarcasm. “Wild guess. But maybe to get out of earshot of her sister fucking you.”

Kara stood up like she’d heard starting pistol. “Nila. We’re going.”

But Lena wasn’t done. “Kara was nothing but supportive while Alex and I dated.”

Nila shrugged. “If you love something, let it go. Right? Even if it runs off and fucks and marries your sister, I guess.” Nila shook her head. “Personally, I’m _way_ too selfish to let go that much. But we can’t all be Kara Danvers, can we?”

“Security!”

In the part of her brain that wasn’t in shock, Kara heard her sister’s call to the nearest officer.

She and Nila were about to be thrown out. And Kara had no interest in being part of that scene, so they’d have to catch her first. Thank goodness Kara could be pretty damn fast when she wanted to be.

And she didn’t waste any time proving it—racing away even as she kept her ears tuned behind her to listen in as Nila ignored the incoming threat of security and kept right on talking like she wanted to get punched.

 _“Quick, tell me,”_  Kara heard from what was now the other side of the room. _“Why Alex? The two of you are intellectually compatible—I get that. And you’re both workaholics, so neither of you judge on that front. I get that working for you both. But you two have the chemistry of a bowl of Cheerios and you’re both so awkward at initiating. Who tops?”_

Kara needed to have her ears checked when she got back to Metropolis because she definitely hadn’t heard what she just heard.

Also, the next time Kara was asked about her worst date, no one was going to believe her when she told the story.

No one.

Kara didn’t even believe it. As far as she was concerned, this was all a dream. No. A nightmare.

A total, utter nightmare still chatting away with Alex and Lena.

Needless to say, Kara would never be returning to National City again.

Ever.

She’d been stupid to come back to begin with. Who was she kidding? The night would have been hell no matter what. At least Nila had made it a little interesting and forced Alex to hear some things she preferred to keep swept under rugs.

Well, not anymore.

The truth was now quasi-out. Nila had all but spelled it out and now Lena knew the real reason Kara never made time for her anymore. There was no putting that genie back in the bottle. All Kara could do was run as quickly as a human could through a banquet hall and find the quickest exit to somewhere she could take off and get back to Metropolis in record time.

She’d just spotted the exit and was loosening her tie in preparation to make the switch when all of a sudden Nila was standing in front of her with a judgmental frown.

“What the fu—” Kara said, tripping into a stop so she wouldn’t run over the woman.

How the fuck had she gotten from the table to the lobby so quickly? It wasn’t possible.

Literally. Impossible

“Seriously?” the beauty said, looking at her like a disappointed mother. “After everything I just stirred up in there for you, you’re going to fly away?”

“Uh, yeah!” Kara said before belatedly realizing Nila had just talked to her like she knew Kara was Supergirl.

And Kara had answered like it was common knowledge.

Shit. Just … shit.

She really needed to get out of there. She was being all sorts of stupid at the thought that Lena might figure it all out and finally full-on hate her.

Life might suck out in Metropolis but at least she still had her random conversations with Lena where Lena told her about her life and opened up. Maybe not like she had before she got married. But it was still something.

And now—thanks to Nila—it was gone. That tiny hope … that tiny shadow of a fantasy. Gone. And Kara didn’t want to hold the funeral for that dream anywhere near National City. She needed to get home … or to Antarctica.

Or somewhere.

Not here.

But Nila was not about to make that easy, it seemed. Wherever Kara tried to move past, Nila blocked.

“You’ve faced off against cyborgs and fleets of alien ships and stood strong. Now you’re telling me that the one person who can make you run away full speed is the best friend you’ve always had a crush on?”

“Yes! Okay? Yes. Now let me past,” Kara said, trying to push past again when she heard a voice behind her.

“What did you say?”

Kara knew that voice. No part of her needed to turn to know who it’s owner was, just like no part of her could refuse the chance to look.

Tuning into Lena’s heart and finding it a bit elevated, Kara turned to face her friend hoping she didn’t look as guilty as she felt.

“Hey,” was all she could muster as she went to meet Lena’s eyes, only to find Lena wasn’t looking at her eyes at all … more at her collarbones. Which was odd since Kara was wearing a button-up shirt. There was nothing—

Oh.

Kara knew exactly what Lena saw the second she reached up a self-conscious hand to touch the area Lena was looking at and felt her suit between parted buttons. She must have pulled the shirt open while trying to pull her tie off.

“Shit.” She used super-speed to button everything back up, but it was too late.

Lena had seen. And as mortifying as that was, it was somehow also a colossal relief.

“I knew it,” Lena hissed. “I told your sister I knew a dozen times and she always…”

The words stopped and were replaced with a blaze in Lena’s eyes that made Kara feel all the things she absolutely shouldn’t. Her skin felt like a furnace fueled by butterflies flying south and Kara could feel the blush rising on her skin as instinct urged her to lean in while logic had her stepping back.

Talking right now would be a mistake. She should go.

That’s what she was thinking when Lena’s eyes finally locked on to hers. And, even pissed, Kara couldn’t look back and think of any other place she’d rather be.

Yes, Lena was pissed. Yes, she had every right to be. Yes, Kara was sorry. Yes, Kara wished she could go back in time and do everything differently.

Literally. Everything.

But she couldn’t. And those eyes weren’t hers to look into anymore. Not anymore. Not even as a friend. Because it had always been more than that … at least, to Kara it had.

And that’s why she’d had to move.

“I should go,” she said taking another step away.

“You were never going to tell me, were you?” Lena accused, still glaring at her with a vengeance.

The accusation pierced Kara like a dagger, making her breathing uneven as she fought for an answer any less damning than the truth. But there wasn’t one.

She’d never had plans to tell Lena the truth.

Daydreams? Yes. But never plans.

At first, the decision to keep Supergirl a secret had been to protect herself. And by the time she’d considered letting Lena in on the secret, Alex had made her move and Kara had needed to keep it for Alex’s sake.

The truth of why she’d lied all these years was a big convoluted mess of trying to avoid pain and harm when she’d really only accomplished the opposite. Instead, Kara had lied her way out of the only thing she’d ever really wanted and had spent every day since asking herself, “What if?”

But all those justifications were just decoration on the fact that she’d lied to Lena … she’d lied to her every day they’d known each other.

How could Lena not hate her for that?

Kara thought she would crumble at Lena’s realization that Kara had been lying and was surprised to feel an odd sense of liberation instead. Because, even if Lena hated her now, she’d know the truth.

And Lena deserved to know the truth. Lena deserved everything.

With that thought, a sudden calm filled Kara as she looked her friend in the eye—still swooning but not buckling this time.

“I’m so sorry,” she said softly. “I should have told you. I think back all the time and try to figure out when and I still don’t know.”

When Lena’s eyes narrowed with hurt interest, Kara decided to take that as a good thing and plowed on.

“In the beginning, I had Superman in my ear telling me not to trust a Luthor. And by the time I knew better, we’d already been through so much and it felt good to be able to compartmentalize it, you know? And I told myself it was too late and that I’d lose you if I told. And then you fell for Alex…” Rao, those words hurt but she shrugged anyway. “…and now, here we are. And I’m sorry.”

Lena did not look convinced. “And when, in all this, did you supposedly start caring about me enough to switch cities?”

The instinct to lie was so strong, but hadn’t she just decided Lena deserved the truth?

Kara cleared her throat. “That first time we met … when you made me forget my own name. Or rather, not forget, but made me want to humble-brag my real name to impress you. Somehow, I knew in that moment that I would do anything if it meant protecting you. And I still feel that way. I just need to do it from farther away now. Okay?”

Oh, shit. Was she crying?

She might be crying.

It was time to go.

Kara was about to say as much when the third-party she’d forgotten was part of the conversation popped her head between them.

“A suggestion, if I may?” Nila said in a chipper tone.

Lena scowled and suddenly glared up at Kara like she was mad again. “Are you seriously dating this woman?”

“No,” Nila answered as Kara shook her head. “I’m a paid escort. She hired me to impress you.”

If Kara could have added Invisibility to her list of superpowers at that moment, she would have taken it. Hell, she would have traded all her powers for it if it meant not having to see how Lena reacted to that particular fact.

“I’m just saying that it looks like you might want me to get lost right about now,” Nila added.

Lena arched a brow that was the equivalent to _ya_ _’ think?_

“Please,” Kara agreed. “Go. You can keep the bonus.”

“Oh, let’s not fool ourselves. I _earned_ that bonus,” Nila replied. “I’m just saying if you want me out of your hair now, all you need to do is kiss.”

 _“What?”_ Kara and Lena said in unison to which Nila shrugged.

“Doesn’t have to have tongue or anything. It can be like a mom kissing her kid goodbye at school. Just a peck, and I’m out of here.”

Kara rolled her eyes, looking to Lena. “I can’t kiss my sister’s wi—”

The words stopped when their eyes met because suddenly she couldn’t lie.

Lena deserved the truth. And the truth was Kara could kiss Lena no matter who she was married to. That’s why she and Alex lived in different cities now.

“Fuck it,” Kara breathed and moved in.

The kiss wasn’t as smooth as she’d imagined, nor half as passionate. No tongue or slanting lips. Just a promise pressed into lips as Kara cupped Lena’s face and let her hands brush against its feel and its shape before stepping away just as quickly.

“There,” she said, turning back to Nila. “Are you hap—”

Where was she? The woman was gone. How could she leave without Kara hearing anything?

What the hell was going on?

When she looked back at Lena, the woman looked smacked and Kara started to panic.

“I’m sorry I ruined your night,” Kara said, backing away. “But I’m glad you know the truth so now you know I mean it when I say I’ve always believed in you. And I will always have your back—not because I love you, but for all the reasons you made me fall in love. But I can’t do that from here, okay? I need to be away. But please never be afraid to call, okay? I can make it here in about thirty seconds so I’m still not that far away. Remember that if the day ever comes when you need a Super again. I’ll always protect you. Believe that.”

Then, before Lena could answer, Kara booked it for the door and actually made it out this time.

No Nila blocked her, no Lena stopped her. And before she knew it, she was out of her clothes, into her suit, and a thousand feet above everything with her eyes crying and her lips smiling with the knowledge that Lena knew.

She really knew now.

Before, the lies had cluttered everything up, making things uncertain. But everything was clear now. And while it hurt to lose the tepid relationship she’d fallen into with Lena, it felt infinitely better to know that if they ever spoke again, it would be without any bullshit.

For the first time in a long time, Kara felt free as she flew home. Truly free.

So free, she missed the vibration of her phone ringing in her boot as she circled the globe to bask in the sun before passing out on her couch ... until a familiar beat—slightly elevated—pulled her from her sleep just in time to hear a knock at her door. And while Kara had no idea what would happen once she opened the door, she knew it would be honest.

No matter what happened, it would be honest.

And so, with a smile, she opened the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are my fodder ... y'know, in case you want to feed the beast. ;)

**Author's Note:**

> I tweet @TheSmuttyBard


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